Curious Archer Short
by Curious Archer
Summary: A series of short (and I mean short!) stories from prompts I get in my Tumblr ask box. Anything from Family Fics, to Song Fics, to Missing Scenes, to What If moments. Curious Archer with appearances from everyone else every now and then.
1. A Ring

**Anonymous: Margot finds the ring Robin was going to use to propose to Alice.**

 _This idea was inspired by an Anon originally commenting "Imagine if Robin was planning to propose before the curse." Which, of course, brought out all sorts of ideas from me and others._

 _Before this I just added ideas and headcanons to other peoples comments and this was the first prompt I wrote up as an actual short story. It was just meant to be two or three paragraphs long (like seriously short!) and it is still short, just not as short as I had planned it to be, lol._

* * *

"Thanks for helping out," Margot said, blushing as she watched Tilly unroll a poster of Hayley Atwell she used to have pinned above her bed. "Uh, you can toss that." She said quickly.

"Sure?" Tilly grinned. "You drew a little love heart in the corner here."

Still blushing, Margot shrugged and tried to play it off. "What can I say. Seeing her punch a guy off his feet in Captain America was kind of hot."

Giggling Tilly rolled the poster up and set it in the 'Maybe' pile they had created. Since Margot's mother had returned back to Chicago while Margot had stayed in the Heights, Kelly had taken the honour of sending up all of Margot's old things that she left at the house. It was a surprise that wasn't entirely welcome. She hadn't lived with her mother for some years and a lot of what was sent over was either dated or just embarrassing. When Tilly had offered to help her sort through it, Margot had only thought of spending time with Tilly and not the things Tilly might see as she did.

Now she was regretting it.

"You have so much stuff!" Tilly said enthusiastically.

"I have so much junk." Margot corrected, turning and lifting a box labelled with a question mark, meaning a whole lot of random. "Why did she even send half of this? I think she just wanted to clear the house and this was her excuse to load it all on me."

"Maybe she thought you'd appreciate the memories." Tilly offered, lifting up a thick green winter coat that looked like it had seen better days from being over worn.

"But it's all junk! Half of it doesn't even have any memories," She turned and raised an eyebrow. "Like said coat which, I wore a lot sure but only because it was comfortable. I have new coats and better memories in them ones than that thing. Toss it."

While Tilly obeyed, throwing the coat into the toss pile which was considerably smaller than the 'maybe' pile (which was very confusing because Margot hadn't agreed on a 'maybe' pile), Margot turned to the question mark box. She opened it up and dug in, pulling out a series of small objects, half of which look like they'd broken off of something else.

Yeah, Margot thought. Mum's definitely just using me to clear out rubbish.

She pushed aside a couple boxes that held stickers and pretty stones she collected once on the beach and was getting ready to chuck the whole box. It really was a bunch of crap. Some were old boxes she made in school when she was six, others were things she got from discount stores that she used when she couldn't find anything else for her hair bobbles and clips. And some were fancy ones that were either damaged or too small to be of any use.

And then she caught sight of something in the very bottom corner. Margot didn't know what made it stand out. But after a moment she reached in and pulled it out, pinching it between her thumb and forefinger.

It was a ring. A beautiful one too. Silver with an incredibly small diamond on its centre and three even smaller diamonds trailing down the ring on either side. On the inside, the word "Freedom" had been inscribed in an italic font and it shined and reflected off the light bulb overhead.

"What's that?" Tilly asked, glancing over.

Margot's mouth felt dry. "I don't know," She mumbled, frowning and shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She forced herself to swallow and wet her gums, dragging her eyes away from the beautiful ring and ignoring the lump that was gathering in her throat for whatever reason. She shrugged, forcing a smile. "I think it must be mums. She must have dropped it in the box by accident."

Tilly hesitated. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Margot grinned, tucking the ring into her pocket. "I'll send it back to her later today." Taking a breath she looked around the mess that was her room. "You know what, I need a break. Wanna go get lunch and try again later?"

"Sure," Tilly nodded slowly. Then, as they began walking down the stairs and out into the street, she asked again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm good," Margot lied, stroking her hip where the ring was sat. "I think I just need something to eat."

Later that day Margot realised she forgot to send the ring back to her mother… It was in that moment that she realised she also didn't want to. Though she couldn't explain, even to herself, why.


	2. Painting

**Anonymous: Alice wants to paint Robin, but Robin can't stand still for too long.**

 _This idea takes place back in the Enchanted Forest._

* * *

"Don't move."

…

"I said don't move."

…

"Robin…" Alice moaned, dropping her hand to her side and letting the paint drip to the grass by her feet.

"I'm trying," Robin groaned, shuffling on her feet. "I'm not used to just standing still for so long."

"Do you want to sit?" Alice offered, glancing back towards the house.

"Can't you just take a picture on my phone and paint from that?" Robin asked.

"It wouldn't be the same. A picture's not as detailed as the real thing and beside's, I couldn't hold it and paint." Alice explained. "Can't you just pretend you're on a hunt? I've seen you motionless for ages when you're hunting something."

"Try minutes," Robin corrected.

"Well minutes are longer than what you're giving me now." Alice noted. "Why don't you act like you're hunting? Get your bow out and aim at the trees, it'd make a nice shot anyway!"

A few seconds later, Robin was standing side on Alice with her bow and arrow drawn. She looked towards the woods and tried to imagine she was waiting for something to come out. Her limbs were tense and behind her Alice immediately set to work. The seconds ticked by and Robin focused entirely on the trees, on the dark shadows where something could be hiding and on the gaps where anything could leap out of at any moment. Robin kept perfectly still… Waiting… Watching…

Something in the bushes rustled and Robin twitched her arrow to the side and released it. Even without the creature making a sound she could tell that she had hit her target, however she didn't even have a chance to break out into a smug smile when she heard her love's voice again.

"ROBIN!" Alice snapped.

Robin turned slowly to face her, smiling awkwardly. "Um… Woops?"

Alice put her hands on her hips, staring at her girlfriend with an expression that was both impatient and like that of a parent scolding their child.

"I… Kind of forgot." Robin mumbled. "I… I was in my head. I was focused on acting like it was a hunt and… Sorry?"

Alice shook her head, sighing and turning back to the painting in silence. She stared at the drawing for a moment before her face broke into a smile. "I have an idea." She grinned.

A few moments later, Robin was stretched out on the grass, hands behind her, legs stretched out and a content smile on her lips as soft music played in the background. Alice took her time with the painting, pausing for minutes to just stare at her love in order to get the details and the colours just right. Because if Alice had learned anything since they had started living together, it was that Robin was never more still than when she was taking a nap.


	3. Candy

**Anonymous: Tilly finding out that you can't really put candy on everything.**

 _I actually had a hard time trying to think of something disgusting that Tilly could try. There's plenty of things which I think are gross but I was still meh on it and in the end just decided on something a lot of people think is gross anyway. (But I personally quite enjoy it! Though I certainly wouldn't have it with sweets I_I)_

* * *

"You look really disappointed." Margot said, doing her best not to laugh.

"I'm fine." Tilly mumbled, slouched in her seat and hugging her knees to her chest.

"You're so depressed." Margot said, unable to hold back the giggle as she reached over and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, hugging Tilly to her side.

"I just feel sick." Tilly grumbled, keeping her head down.

"Well, yeah, I mean… Raw fish and gummy sweets don't really mix well." Margot noted.

"You said you could put candy on everything!" Tilly yelped, lifting her head to finally look at her. Sure enough, she looked very pale like she might be sick.

"I said you could put it on anything if you tried hard enough. Not that you actually should put it on everything you can find." Margot teased, still trying to hold back her laughter and be comforting. She didn't think Tilly would actually be sick, but she probably felt like she might.

"Wish you'd warned me about that before." Tilly mumbled, lowering her head back to her knees.

"I'm sorry." Margot grinned. "How about I make you something to wash the taste out of your mouth? Something sweet? Salty? Bit of both."

"UGH!" Tilly whimpered.

Margot giggled. "Okay, how about a nice normal pizza instead? Cheesy with lost of meat and hot toppings to scorch out the bad taste!"

"Yes, please." Tilly whispered.

Still grinning, Margot reached for the phone and ordered them a pizza from the local shop down the road before she began picking up the left over sushi from the coffee table that Tilly had attempted to mix with sour gummy sweets. She cringed at the idea of how that must have tasted but then, Margot wasn't a fan of sushi to begin with and she had no idea where Tilly had grown this fascination for the stuff. After she had cleared up and collected the pizza from the door, she took her place before Tilly and almost laughed when Tilly grabbed one of the last gummy sweets and dropped it onto the slice Margot had been about to eat.

"Hmmm… Pizza and candy… Yum!" Margot grinned and she and Tilly burst into giggles, some of the colour returning to Tilly's cheeks now that the original queasiness had passed.


	4. Missing Scene - Flower Child

**Anonymous: would you consider writing something from that cute little 30 sec scene of Margot/Tilly not wanting to let go of each other's hands in episode 7x19 ?**

* * *

Early that morning, Tilly and Margot had meant for breakfast at a cute little cafe not far from the book shop that Tilly had taken Margot to on their first date. After which, Tilly, with a little more free time on her hands, had offered to walk Robin to Roni's for the start of her late morning shift.

"We should have picked someone further away," Margot sighed as she caught sight of Roni's sign hanging overhead the entrance just a few short buildings away.

"I could always pick you up when you're done?" Tilly offered lightly, swinging her and Margot's hands between them. They hadn't let go of each since Tilly picked her up, not even when they sat eating. They let their fingers entwine while her hands sat on the table beside their plates, somehow succeeding in eating their whole meals with just their one free hand, which led to some funny problems that had them both giggling loudly and drawing attention from the other people around them.

"If you have other things to do, that's okay." Margot shrugged casually, unconsciously tightening her hold on Tilly's hand as she did.

Tilly smiled at her. "I've got nothing but time." For you, she added silently but it was almost like Margot could read it in her eyes and she returned the smile.

They reached the bar and they both came to a stop, lingering just outside the steps and smiling at each other. They were both as reluctant to leave as the other and, if not for the fact that Margot was temporarily living with Roni, then she might have called sick to spend the day with Tilly instead. Unfortunately she did live with Roni and so she couldn't get away with it.

"I better go." Margot said finally. "I had fun. Eating lunch, I mean." She laughed.

"Me too. We should do it more often." Tilly joked.

Margot hesitated. "Why don't we? I mean, meet up every morning for breakfast? We could go somewhere new every day until we've been to all the places Hyperion Heights has. Kind of like a in town adventure."

"I'd love that." Tilly beamed. The truth was they had already begun spending a lot of time together. Since their first date when Margot said Tilly's bad days wouldn't scare her off, they had met up almost every day, either to walk somewhere or for a meal or even for a quick chat before they had to run off again. Not that she was complaining. If she had it her way, Tilly would never have to say goodbye to Margot.

However, at this moment she did need to say goodbye. Because Margot had to work and Rogers was expecting Tilly back soon. Still, she let their hands linger for a little longer before making a bold move and leaning forward…

Just as the door opened and Roni stuck her head out. "Oh good, you're here. Margot, I know you have a few minutes before your shift but could you jump on early and cover while I duck out for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure, Roni." Margot nodded, blushing slightly.

Roni paused for a moment like she had realised what she interrupted, but then shook her head and vanished back inside. After a second, Margot turned back to Tilly and smiled.

"I better go." She repeated, grinning. "I'll see you after my shift?"

"It's a date." Tilly grinned. "There's a bar I can take you. I know one of the employees and they're always giving me free drinks."

"Not always!" Margot laughed, which was an all out lie, and she finally began to turn away, still giggling as she and Tilly reluctantly released each others hands and Margot stepped inside.

Tilly watched her disappear through the door before she slowly turned around, still grinning and swaying slightly as she walked away. She couldn't wait to pick her up later and the idea of seeing her again, even though they had just parted, left her feeling giddy the whole way. Meanwhile Margot walked around the door immediately went to the window, peering out and watching Tilly walk away with a smile of her own.

She was so busy thinking and watching Tilly, she didn't even notice the woman that had begun following her.


	5. Bully

**Anonymous: Imagine some bully type people rudely ask Robin why she is around Alice(They say she is crazy or something) and Robin give them a talk about how incredible Alice is and how much she love her with all the things she is.(And scare the people off) Meanwhile Alice is right behind Robin and listen the talk.**

 _"Leah" is the name I've given to Robin's old friend who was helping her with her spell back in the flashback in Episode 12_

* * *

"Hey! Robin!"

Looking up, Robin felt herself smiling at the familiar sight of an old friend. "Hey, Leah." She immediately stepped forward and put her arms around her, hugging her briefly before they stepped back. It had been years since they'd seen each other and yet Leah looked exactly as she had all those years ago. She hadn't changed a bit!

"I heard you were back," Leah said, crossing her arms in front of her and smiling at her. "Heard some other things too."

Okay, Robin didn't like the way she said that. "Other things like what?"

"Other things like you brought someone with you." Leah said calmly.

"Oh, right. Yeah." Robin laughed, smiling happily at her old friend. "Her name's Alice."

Leah nodded. "Mad Alice."

"… Excuse me?" Robin frowned.

Leah shrugged. "Sorry, Robin but people talk. Everyone knows she's off her meds crazy. What I can't figure out, is why you're with someone like that. I mean, even if she was hotter than the sun, why are you dating her and not just booty calling it?" She took a step forward, smiling and leaning slightly. "Come on, you can tell me. What's the deal here?"

Robin shook her head, tasting something foul that made her purse her lips in disgust as she looked her old friend up and down slowly. "Well, you really haven't changed one bit, have you?"

Leah raised an eyebrow leaning back again. "What?" She demanded.

"You are such… A bitch!" Robin said sharply.

Now both Leah's eyebrows were raised however her look of surprised quickly shifted into an amused smirk. "Oh please. I'm a bitch because I say the truth. And that's what everyone here is thinking. That you've been infected by that psycho's crazy."

Robin grit her teeth but forced herself to relax, shaking her head. "You are pathetic, you know that? You know what else? Yeah, Alice is mad. She's the maddest person I know, but all the best people are, which just makes her the very best person I have ever had the chance to meet. She's is wonderful, and beautiful and interesting and funny and kind and compassionate. In other words, she is the complete and utter opposite to you."

"Oh really?" Leah snapped.

"Yeah, really!" Robin shouted. "I mean, Alice has the luck of being as beautiful inside as she is outside, but you… Well you just damn well drew the small straw in life, didn't you, Leah? Because that face of yours would scare a troll half to death and your personalities enough to make a wraith run away."

"Oh and like you're such a prize!" Leah started but Robin interrupted her.

"Are you kidding? I know I'm not a prize. Especially because I was once like you and that honestly makes me want to be sick." Robin glared at her. "But I got lucky anyway. Somehow, someone, somewhere, decided I would get lucky and they gave me Alice and I'm not going to let you or anyone else even suggest that she is anything other than an angel of a human being that people like you don't deserve to see, let alone talk to. So, Leah, kindly do me the favour of-" What followed next was a series of words that would surely lead Zelena to grounding her daughter if she still could.

"Oh whatever, Robin." Leah sneered, turning and walking away. "Have fun with the nut case."

"I will. Have fun being alone and miserable. Maybe one day you'll convince yourself your happy that way." Robin called after her. She was still fuming as she spun around to storm off and work some of the rage out of her system and nearly ran into someone. "Alice!" Robin yelped and immediately felt her stomach dip. "How much of that did you hear?"

"You were both yelling by the end." Alice noted calmly. "So all of it." She nodded back. "I was over there when I heard her mention my name first time."

"Oh, Alice." Robin reached to hug her, preparing to comfort her and explain how she shouldn't pay attention to a skank like Leah.

But instead Alice smiled at her. "An angel of a human being, huh?" She grinned.

Robin blinked and a slight blush crawled its way over her cheeks when she realised what she was talking about. "Yeah well… You are kind of perfect." She added, smiling softly, glad that Alice hadn't minded the awful things Leah had said to her.

"So that's perfect, wonderful, beautiful, smart, amazing… Am I missing something? I'm sure I'm missing something." Alice said, pretending to think back.

"Probably." Robin agreed, taking her hands. "Just take every positive word in the human language, and several from others, and just apply all of them to you."

Giggling Alice threw her arms around Robin's shoulders and kissed her hard. She was originally feeling a knot in her stomach when she heard Leah start talking about her, but almost immediately the knot had unwrapped itself as she listened to Robin passionately defend her in a way no one ever had before. Robin may think she was lucky to have Alice, but Alice knows she's lucky to have Robin.


	6. What Makes You Beautiful

**Anonymous: Robin tries to woo Alice by singing some boy band song to her.**

* * *

Alice sat in the living room, a chess board set up in front of her on the coffee table as she played a quiet game with herself during the early morning that day. It was nice and quiet in the early hours and she didn't plan to do anything too special, giving her time to relax. In fact she planned for it to be a nice and easy day with her love at her home. Speaking of which where was-

Suddenly Alice heard a guitar playing behind her. It was the one Robin had brought from the other world when she moved here. One that definitely didn't fit into the kind of you'd find around here (what with its shape and odd painted coloured surface) but that Robin was very attached to none the less and Alice often heard her playing to herself every now and then when she wanted to relax. Only this wasn't that because the music wasn't the same gentle tune, but rather something sharper, building as Alice turned just in time to see Robin appear in the doorway, guitar in arms and little smile on her face.

Before Alice could say anything, her love began to sing. Her voice was clear and beautiful as ever, even though she didn't always like singing. Normally, whenever she played, she encouraged Alice to be the one to sing along for her, which was what made her sudden burst right now so odd.

"You're insecure,  
Don't know what for,  
You're turning heads when you walk through the door."

Alice blinked at her. "Wait what?" What did that mean? She wasn't that insecure was she? And why was she turning head just by walking in?

Robin ignored her. "Don't need make-up, to cover up  
Being the way that you are is enough."

"I have no idea what is happening right now." Alice mumbled, but then shrugged and sat back in her seat, watching Robin walk around the furniture and continue singing loudly to her.

"Everyone else in the room can see it,  
Everyone else but you…  
Baby you light up my world like nobody else,  
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed!"

Her voice had grown even louder and stronger, in a way that was almost catchy enough for Alice to start dancing to but instead, Alice paused. She reached up and gently touched her hair. She never flipped it! … Did she?

"But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,  
You don't know, oh oh,  
You don't know you're beautiful.  
If only you saw what I can see,  
You'll understand why I want you so desperately,  
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,  
You don't know, oh oh,  
You don't know you're beautiful, oh oh  
That's what makes you beautiful!"

Alice was caught between smiling and frowning at this point. These were some strange lyrics that Robin had written for her. And she assumed they were for her. After all, she was singing it to her so she must have written it with her love in mind. But what made her decide to add the part about flipping hair? What did that even mean? The rest of it was lovely though, so Alice tried to ignore that one line and focus on the rest.

Robin moved so she was standing directly across the coffee table from Alice now, continuing to play and sing with a happy smile on her face. "So come on, you got it wrong,  
To prove I'm right, I put it in a song.  
I don't know why, you're being shy,  
And turn away when I look into your eye eye eyes.  
Everyone else in the room can see it,  
Everyone else but you.  
Baby you light up my world like nobody else,  
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed!"

There was that damn hair line again. Alice found herself playing with a strand while watching Robin. She kept smiling but inside she was trying to figure out when she had done it. And was she really as shy as Robin was singing? She'd been shy when they first started dating, but so had Robin. Was she still acting shy even now? She began to nod her head along with the strumming of the guitar, smiling as Robin went on, repeating the chorus of how beautiful she was and once again trying to focus on that instead.

"If only you saw what I can see,  
You'll understand why I want you so desperately.  
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,  
You don't know, oh oh,  
You don't know you're beautiful, oh oh.  
You don't know you're beautiful, oh oh,  
That's what makes you beautiful!"

Robin finished with a loud long note, almost shouting and playing the guitars last tune before the music cut off and she stood in front of her, watching and waiting for a moment. Robin was taking deep breaths, a little flushed from the effort of singing and playing and very close to panting but otherwise undisturbed by her own little display. She grinned at Alice and raised an eyebrow.

"So? What do you think?"

I think you think I'm more insecure than I am, Alice thought. And you apparently think I flip my hair a lot and can't look you in the eye which is really weird… And you think I'm beautiful.

Alice once again decided to ignore the rest and focus on the last part. It sure was a weird song for her to sing to her but it was also very sweet. So standing up, she climbed over the coffee table and over her chess board and dropped down in front of Robin, leaning forward and kissing her hard. She wrapped her arms around her and rocked until Robin had to hastily lean the guitar against the wall behind her to avoid dropping it without breaking the embrace. Afterwards they began stumbling towards the bedroom, all without pulling apart the whole way.

Some weeks later, Alice discovered the song wasn't actually personally written by Robin for her. Robin hadn't realised Alice had assumed it was and, upon finding out, she was left feeling guilty. She hadn't meant to make Alice think that way. She forgot she didn't know pop culture and was worried her love would be disappointed with the truth. But instead Alice stood a little straighter and smiled.

"So that's why you included the hair flipping!" Alice grinned, turning back to the washing in front of her, quite cheerfully. "I knew I didn't do that kind of thing really."


	7. Robin's Drunk

**Anonymous: So Robin got drunk and cames to Alice's place and screaming her love. Alice didn't know what to do**

* * *

This was such a good idea. This was the best idea! Why hadn't she thought of this before?!

Robin had been down in town for the evening, tossing back a few drinks like she'd been hiking through the desert the last few days. Instead she'd been hoping to hide from her mother, who had an irritating knack of noticing when Robin was feeling out of it lately, especially when it involved other girls. Maybe she'd had a few too many but she was glad, because the alcohol gave her the courage and the idea to do what she was about to. And she was so excited!

Normally Robin was so stealthy, no matter where she was, but today it seemed like everything was getting in her way. Almost like the nature itself was purposely trying to stop her from getting through to her destination. But nothing would stop her. Not even the living jungle and demonic branches of the trees that kept reaching out and grabbing her clothes and hair.

Finally she broke through into the clearing and caught sight of the small building she was aiming for. Excitedly, Robin ran towards it and began calling out. "ALICE! …ALICE?! …ALICE!"

It didn't take her long to open her door and appear on the porch. She was dressed in her blue cloak over the top of a white night dress that made Robin's mouth go dry. She forced her gaze to look up at Alice's wide blue eyes and grinned to see her hair was standing on ends in every direction. She was probably fast asleep when Robin had come calling.

"Robin? What's going on?" Alice blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you!" Robin beamed, stepping forward and throwing her arms around her in a tight hug and rocking their bodies sideways slightly.

"Whoa!" Alice yelped, nearly falling over under Robin's sudden weight. She put her hands on Robin's hips and blinked. "Robin, are you alright? What's wrong with you?"

"I just needed to see you." Robin said, pulling back and taking Alice's hands. "I needed to tell you something."

"What?" Alice frowned.

"I just needed to tell you… I'm glad you tricked my trap." Robin paused and frowned. "I mean… I'm glad I caught you… In that cage before… I'm happy…" She snorted, shaking her head. "I'm happy you were spying on me, your dad."

"Robin. You're not making any sense." Alice paused and sniffed. "What's that smell?"

"Whiskey and rum." Robin stated proudly. "I mixed."

"You mixed what?" Alice frowned.

"My drinks." Robin shrugged. "But I needed to. I needed to to to… fuck!" Robin shook her head. "I had it all clear in my head and now it's fucked off!"

Alice's eyes were as wide as they were going to get. She'd never heard Robin swear like that before. Not even when she hurt herself or when she lost out on some kind of hunt or game in the woods. She was normally very cool and careful with her words but now it was just exploding out of her. It was both shocking and a little amusing.

"I may be a little drunk," Robin mumbled, rubbing her hands over her face. "And I had it all planned out in my head, too. It was going to be perfect and now it's all…"

"Fucked off?" Alice asked, the words sounded odd coming from her mouth. She felt weird just saying them, but also a tiny bit of a silly thrill that made her smile.

Robin seemed to think along the same lines, as she then burst out laughing at the sound of sweet Alice swearing so casually, kneeling right over and reaching back up to cling to Alice's hands in order to stay unsteadily on her feet. She leaned against her, crying with laughter before standing and throwing her arms around Alice's shoulder, leaning forward and kissing her hard.

Alice let out a muffled yelp of surprise and did her best not to fall over, caught between kissing her back and pulling away. As much as she would like to go on, should she be kissing her when Robin is acting so weird? Alice didn't know much about being drunk - she'd heard about it even if she hadn't personally experienced it - but if it was anything like the strange stuff in Wonderland which always made her feels happy and see odd things that weren't really there, then she didn't want Robin to think she was taking advantage of her.

When Robin pulled away a few seconds later, she looked at Alice in a way that made the other girl blush and she resisted the urge to double check that her cloak hadn't slipped off. "Can I stay with you… Tonight? Forever? Until you grow bored of me?" Robin whispered, her voice suddenly husky.

"I'll never grow bored of you." Alice said, grinning at her.

"Promise." Robin stated firmly.

"Huh?"

"Promise you'll never throw me away."

"Never." Alice swore, leaning forward and lightly kissing the corner of her mouth.

Grinning, Robin finally relaxed long enough to allow Alice to lead her inside her small home and towards the bed.

"Lie down," Alice instructed. She wasn't sure what to do to help someone who was apparently drunk but maybe if she just stayed still for a bit then it would fade on its own. "I know. I'll make you something to ea-EEEE!" Alice squealed when she turned around only for Robin to wrap her arms around her waist and drag her onto the bed with her.

"Stay here." Robin whispered, kissing along the side of Alice's neck. "Stay with me."

"I'm just gonna get you a drink of water," Alice said, trying to squirm out of her grip.

"You promised you'd never leave!"

Actually she promised she'd never throw Robin away or grow bored of her, but Alice had a feeling she wouldn't really hear her reminder right now. So instead she untied her cloak and threw it over a nearby chair, relaxing and letting Robin cuddle her from behind. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying herself a lot right now. Seeing this odd side to Robin as well as feeling her cling onto her… It was quite cute.

"I'm so happy I met you." Robin mumbled against the back of her neck where she was kissing the skin hidden under her long hair.

"Me too," Alice replied, she wanted to sleep but she was suddenly wide awake.

"Promise me you won't ever run away from me again." Robin said. "It broke my heart, seeing you run after we first met."

Considering that Robin thought she was a spy and had been aiming an arrow at her head at the time, Alice doubt that. But it still made her smile to hear her say it.

"Promise." Robin whined, sounding close to tears.

Alice felt bad about just how badly she wanted to giggle at her love's pitiful pleas. Instead she bit her lip for a moment before she calmed enough to nod her head. "I promise." She mumbled. "I won't run."

"I promise not to run, too. Not unless you're running by my side." Robin breathed, her kisses trailing down Alice's back now.

"Are you going to go to sleep?" Alice asked.

"Not yet," Robin said, sitting up and rolling Alice on her back. "Are you?"

"Apparently not." Alice laughed, letting Robin kiss her again, long into the night…

The next morning, Alice woke to loud groaning and the sound of someone gagging loudly over the side of the bed. She sat up, feeling very refreshed - and not just from the long hours of sleep - before she turned to find Robin leaning over the mattress where she had dragged a small bucket Alice used to soak her feet to sit under her green tinged face.

"You okay?" Alice asked, becoming suddenly worried and reaching to feel her arm - she wasn't hot at least.

"Yeah… Just… Hungover…" Robin groaned.

"What's that?" Alice frowned, climbing over the other girl and sitting by her knees to watch her face as she heaved air into the bucket. It was already half full of mostly liquid and Alice cringed at the sight, wrinkling her nose at it.

"It's what happens after you get really, really, REALLY drunk." Robin moaned.

"It's normal then?" Alice asked, relaxing slightly.

"Yeah… Have you never been drunk before?" Robin half turned to look at her, squinting through teary eyelashes.

"No… Well, I ate something weird in Wonderland once and saw a lot of colours and shapes for a few hours… Does that count?" Alice asked.

Robin paused, thinking over what she said before she laughed weakly. "Oh my God… You've been high on mushrooms." Then grinned and then turned sharply as her face blanched and she gagged over the bucket once more, nothing quite coming up though it sounded like it wanted to.

"They weren't mushrooms." Alice corrected, reaching over and holding Robin's hair back away from her face and the bits of drool dribbling down her lip and chin.

"Yeah well… Um… I don't really remember how I got here." Robin confessed, doing her best not to look at Alice now. "Did I do anything embarrassing last night?"

Alice thought back and smiled. "Not really."

"I didn't disturb you or anything? I didn't wake you? I left the bar quite late, at least I think I did…" Robin said, her voice quiet as she still refused to lift her head up.

"Oh no." Alice lied. "I was still up when you came by, asking if you could stay the night."

"Good." Robin sighed. "I am never getting that drunk ever again."

Alice reached down and gently brushed back a few lose strands that escaped her hold, tickling the side of Robin's face. "I'd like to give it a try. One day. Will you take me?"

Robin glanced up at her from the corner of her eye. "Are you sure? I mean… This is normally how it ends and it's pretty disgusting." She groaned loudly and turned back to the bucket. "God, I am so gross. Don't look at me."

"Nonsense. You're beautiful." Alice whispered, leaning down and kissing Robin's sweaty temple, smiling at her. "Now. What helps with a hangover? I'll take care of you while you're recovering but you'll need to tell me what to do."

"You're so sweet." Robin mumbled.

"Yeah well," Alice grinned. "I did enjoy sleeping with you last night."

Robin paused and glanced up at her but Alice just grinned back in a way that was so innocent, Robin wasn't sure what kind of 'sleeping' they actually did…


	8. My Girl

**Anonymous: How Alice reacts the first time Robin calls her "my girl"?**

* * *

"What did you say?" Alice whispered, feeling a slight shock leave her a little chilled.

"Huh?" Robin blinked.

"Just now." Alice said. "What did you say?"

"Uh? That I'm happy to be spending some free time here?" Robin frowned.

"After that. About standing up for me?" Alice pressed.

"You mean, that if we go to town and anyone gives you a hard time I'll stand up for you?" Robin asked.

"Your exact words!" Alice stressed.

"Alice. What is going on?" Robin laughed uneasily.

"Exact! Words!" Alice stressed, leaning towards her. "What did you say?"

Robin sighed and thought back. "I said 'Don't worry about the people there. They can be asshats but if anyone gives…" Robin trailed off, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

"Go on." Alice said, grinning at her.

"If anyone… Gives you-"

"Nu-uh! That's not what you said." Alice said, leaning right towards her so they were inches apart.

Robin cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow, trying to look cool and calm but the pink shades to her cheeks had grown slightly darker. "I said, 'Don't worry about the people there. They can be asshats but if anyone gives my girl a hard time I'll have words with them."

Alice sat back on her ankles. "My Girl?" She asked, clicking her tongue slightly and speaking in something like a sing song voice.

"I wasn't thinking." Robin said, turning away from her and shrugging.

Alice grinned, reaching over and throwing her arms around Robin's shoulders as she pressed her forehead at the other girls temple. She felt a warm feeling in her chest and could have happily shut her eyes to stay in this moment forever. Robin's clear voice ringing through her head, repeating the same two words over and over. My Girl. There was something so perfect about the sound. So wonderful about hearing it come from Robin's sweet voice.

Never before did Alice think she would love the feeling of someone else claiming her like that. But it was true. Her love just confirmed it. She was Robin's. Now and forever.


	9. Crooked Smile

**Anonymous: Robin's crooked smile infuriates Alice, but at the same time it's the sexiest thing she has ever seen.**

* * *

Life was harsh in the tower, but it was also uncomplicated. Everything was very simple and basic and Alice rarely had conflicting emotions. She was either sad, or angry, or sad and angry, and sometimes she was happy but she was never happy and sad or happy and angry at the same time. Whenever she was happy, she let that emotion swell inside her and take over even if it meant pretending that things were okay when deep down she knew they weren't… In that case, maybe she did have conflicting emotions, but they just weren't so obvious as they were since leaving the tower. They weren't both on the surface at the same time, fighting for dominance over how she should be feeling about something.

And what, you may ask, brought on this string of thoughts and emotions about conflicting feelings and how they may weigh heavily on ones shoulders? Well. It was a smile. A smile that left Alice so twisted and torn inside that she often felt dizzy if she thought about it for too long a period of time.

It was Robin's smile. Or, to be more specific, her crooked smile.

That damn cocky smile of hers that always hit Alice hard whenever she shot it over her shoulder, casually flicking her hair slightly whenever she did. It was such a natural thing, Robin probably didn't even know she was doing it. Which is what made it all the more irritating. Alice wanted to nudge her slightly, making her stumble or jog in hopes of wiping the smile off her face and she might have done it too, if not for one problem. The conflicting emotion. Because while that smile annoyed her to hell and back… It was also so damn enticing!

This was where Alice's problem came. She wasn't used to having two strong emotions battling it out for control over her feelings. She didn't know which one she should lean towards and which would she should smother down enough to think clearly again. Part of her wanted to get Robin talking so that damn smile would fade on its own, but the other part wanted to drag her back on the sofa and make the smile disappear in other ways…

"Hey?" Robin said, looking at her and giving that very same crooked smile, this time with a slight frown on her forehead. "You okay? Why do you keep staring at me?" She laughed, still smiling that damn smile!

Without thinking twice about it, Alice reached over, grabbing Robin's shoulder tightly and pushed her down onto the cushions. Before Robin could react to her suddenly jerking, Alice was leaning down and kissing her hard.

Okay, maybe the emotions weren't so conflicted as she thought. After all, that stupid smile of hers really was the sexiest smile Alice had ever seen. How could she possibly resist it?


	10. Nightingale

**Anonymous: Alice singing "Nightingale" by Demi Lovato.**

* * *

There wasn't a clock in the bedroom so when Robin woke up, she was forced to switch on her phone and wait for it to slowly start up, then was blinded when the light flashed on all of a sudden and she turned her head away sharply, cringing and groaning at the pain it left even when she shut tried burying her face in her pillow. When she finally managed to squint at the time, she saw it was one fifty three in the morning. With another groan, Robin set her phone down on the side and rolled, turning to cuddle up to Alice and go back to sleep…

Only to find the space in the bed beside her was empty. Blinking, Robin sat up and felt along the mattress but there was no sign of her love. She turned, grabbing the phone and using the light to shine down on the bed, banishing the darkness, before waving it around the room. Alice was gone.

Frowning and suddenly worried - at least this explained why she had woken so suddenly. Normally Robin slept through like a log - Robin climbed from the bed and shivered at the cold morning air that found its way along the bare areas of her arms and legs. The shorts and vest she wore to sleep in always caught the right amount of attention from Alice, but it did leave her cold in the short distance between her bed and the wardrobe where the rest of her clothes hung, waiting for her.

Not bothering to grab her dressing gown, Robin instead reached and grabbed her bow and arrow resting on its personal counter by the wall. She pulled the arrows onto her shoulder and began to creep from the room. At first it seemed quiet, but now she was listening, she could hear a very gentle humming that was coming from the other end of the house where Alice did her painting. Robin doubt Alice was in danger now, but she kept a hold on her bow just in case, tiptoeing down the corridor and coming to a slow stop outside the door. The hum was still very quiet and Robin hesitated just for a moment before she pushed open the door.

As soon as there was a crack in between the door and wall, Robin heard a loud and gentle blast of music from inside. She also felt a slight tingle of magical energy and realised Alice had made the room sound proof for whatever reason. But now the door was open, Robin heard her darlings beautiful voice carrying over the soft sound of a piano tune.

"Baby I'm a little blind,  
I think it's time for you to find me."

Robin had heard Alice sing plenty of times before. She liked singing when she was doing casual chores around the house, and when Robin played guitar, she would often spontaneously join in with her and turn her little tune into a romantic duet. But somehow this was different.

To start with, Alice was sat at a piano. They did not own a piano. Robin squinted through the darkness of the candle light and saw the piano was almost see through and Alice wasn't really playing it, but waving her hands over the keys and allowing them to play themselves.

"Can you be my nightingale?  
Sing to me,  
I know you're there.  
You could be my sanity,  
Bring me peace,  
Sing me to sleep,  
Say you'll be my nightingale."

Alice was still in the light blue night dress she had put on yesterday evening, and her hair hung down, swinging slightly with her body as she rocked on the spot where she was sat. She hadn't noticed Robin entering. The room, which was normally used for her art work, had all the supplies pushed against the wall except for a few candles which she had light in each corner of the room and by her side.

"Somebody speak to me.  
'Cause I'm feeling like hell.  
Need you to answer me.  
I'm overwhelmed.  
I need a voice to echo,  
I need a light to take me home.  
I need a star to follow,  
I don't know."

Robin set her bow and arrows down by the wall without taking her eyes off of Alice. She slowly slipped into the room, moving in a daze like she was in a trance. She had completely forgotten about the cold air and pulled the door shut behind her, locking the two of them together so that this moment and this song was shared with no one else. She began approaching Alice as quietly as before, not that it was needed. Alice's clear voice drowned out all other noises that the piano playing didn't.

"I never see the forest for the trees.  
I could really use your melody.  
Baby I'm a little blind,  
I think it's time for you to find me."

Robin was close behind her now but she didn't touch or otherwise disturb her. Instead she listened in silence, a soft smile pulling at the corners of her lips as she stared down at the back of Alice's head. The smaller girl was rocking to her own music rapidly now, so far to either side that Robin was momentarily worried she might fall off her seat. Her blonde hair swayed and waved behind like ripples of golden water and when she waved her hands over the piano, her fingers moved like they were dancing on their own in a grace Robin knew she could never match.

"Can you be my nightingale?  
Sing to me,  
I know you're there.  
You could be my sanity,  
Bring me peace.  
Sing me to sleep,  
Say you'll be my nightingale."

Suddenly her voice grew even louder and Robin felt a tightness in her chest, resisting the urge to drag Alice on her feet and begin dancing, not wanting to disrupt her when she seemed to be lost in her own song. Instead she reached up and pressed her hands to her lips, shutting her eyes and listening to the voice that made her feel a fresh burst of love for the other woman.

"I don't know what I'd do without you!  
Your words are like a whisper come through!  
As long as you are with me here tonight!  
I'm good."

And Robin was defeated. She moved and Alice's head jerked in surprise as her love took a spot on the seat beside her, but she didn't break pace. Instead her face stretched into a smile and she turned away from the piano, singing directly to Robin instead. If possible, her voice became even more entrancing when she smiled at her, and her eyes light up in a way that, again, forced Robin to hold herself back from cutting her off with a kiss. The song had gone soft, and the way her voice carried the words in something just louder than a whisper left goosebumps along Robin's body. She reached over and linked her fingers with Alice.

"Can you be my nightingale?  
Still so close,  
I know you're there."

As her voice grew again, Robin couldn't hold back. She stood and dragged Alice up with her. She had resisted for as long as she could but still Alice didn't let the motion slow or stop her singing. She began to swing her body as Robin spun her around the room, dancing from one corner to the next and still never breaking eye contact the whole time, even when they temporarily pulled away only to fall back into each others arms again.

"Oh, nightingale!  
You sing to me,  
I know you're there.  
'Cause baby you're my sanity,  
You bring me peace,  
Sing me to sleep.  
Say you'll be my nightingale."

Alice finished with a gasp and collapsed against Robin, the piano she had brought to life vanished and all the candles blew out in a single gust of wind from nowhere. She was grinning as she wound her arms around Robin's neck, letting her love be her entire support. If not for the slightly taller girl with her arms around her waist, she was sure she would have dropped to the floor. Instead she saved up just enough of her breath left to lean up and kiss Robin softly.

When they broke the kiss - quickly so Alice could officially get her breath back - Robin gently pressed their foreheads together. "That was beautiful."

Alice shrugged, grinning. "It got stuck in my head."

"And you couldn't wait until morning to sing it?" Robin joked then shook her head before Alice could reply. "I'm glad. Seeing you like that… I can't even begin to describe it. I feel breathless just from watching."

"How do you think I feel?" Alice giggled, cuddling against her. "I didn't want to disturb you… But I'm glad I did."

"Me too." Robin whispered, kissing her temple. They stood in silence, the song somehow still echoing in their minds and the crispy smell from the candles dead flames filling their senses. In her mind, Robin could still see Alice, sitting at the piano and singing with all her heart, undisturbed and untouched by the rest of the world.

Was it truly possible to fall in love with the same person twice?

"We should go to bed," Alice mumbled, breaking Robin's thoughts. "But I'm too tired to move."

"Then don't." Robin said, then reached down, tucking an arm under Alice's leg and picking her up off the floor. Alice blinked in surprised then smiled and rest her head on Robin's shoulder, allowing herself to be carried back to the bedroom with ease.

Even if she did the singing, Robin truly was her nightingale.


	11. Missing Scene - Is This Henry Mills?

**Anonymous: After they go to Rogers apartment, and get ready for bed, Robin winces as she tries to take her jacket. She tries to hide it from Alice, as she is pretty sure her side is bruised from being thrown on the ground earlier.**  
 **Anonymous: After 720 Alice had a breakdown and push away Robin and tell her she hurt the only two people she loves by touching them.(she feels guilty for hurting Margot like that) Robin assured her. (Can you go with that)**

 _So I got the first Anon, wrote all this up, and then got the second Anon. And these are just quick shorts so I could have changed it to include more of Alice actually pushing Robin away but I have a lot of other asks still waiting for me, and I liked what I wrote and in the end I decided to post what I had. It still includes Alice's breakdown but rather than pushing Robin away, she goes to her for comfort._  
 _Because Alice has had enough happen to her in life, she deserves to at least be able to go to her love for comfort lol._

* * *

As the door opened and the light switched on, Alice was surprised by how weak her knees felt when she stepped inside. She had been fine a few seconds ago but now, she had a great whiff of her fathers lingering cologne and a warmth that hit as hard as a punch to the gut. In fact she shook so badly that Robin immediately moved up behind her, sliding one arm around her waist while the other rested on her shoulder, gently guiding her past the living room into the small bedroom that had become her own not more than a few months back.

A few months? Had it really been so long? It felt like just days ago that they were cursed, separated from one another in a world where she was all alone, just drifting through life without purpose. That had been a horrible existence, but then it had gotten better somehow. It had been awful, but it had led her and her father to live together and then she had shared beautiful dates with Margot, aka Robin, and she had been almost happy. In fact, scratch that, she had been happy. She had an almost perfect life and now half that perfect life had been ripped away from her for the second time.

"Come on," Robin said, her voice a gentle whisper as she began to slowly guide Alice towards the bed.

Alice slowly looked around the room. The room was so empty, with only a few of her personal possessions scattered inside, and yet it was truly her home because it was the room she had under the same roof as her father. Despite everything, this cursed life she had been given really wasn't as terrible as it had been for everyone else. Even if it started out that way, it ended up better than her real life had.

"You want to talk about it?" Robin asked, watching Alice with a worried look on her face.

"No." Alice whispered. She walked over, kissing Robin gently and smiling sadly at her. "I just really want to go to bed and skip to tomorrow already."

"Then let's go to bed." Robin nodded firmly.

Alice turned away from her and began to strip off her clothes, throwing her coat and her jacket down onto the floor without care. When she was ready, she stumbled towards the bed and glanced up in time to see Robin wincing as he pulled off her top. Underneath the strap of her bra by her right shoulder blade was a frighteningly dark purple bruise.

"What is that?" Alice gasped, rushing over to her side.

"Oh, it's nothing." Robin said, wincing and turning away only for Alice to grab her arm and hold her still.

"Let me see," Alice said, reaching and tracing her fingers over the bruise, frowning.

The bruise extended over her shoulder blade and tucked slightly under her arm, trailing halfway down her spine and stopping short just on the back of her shoulder. There were a few scratches on her side like she had been dragged across a rough surface and Robin winced like even her gentlest touch caused her pain. It was then that Alice realised where the injury was from.

"Oh…" Alice gasped, taking a small step back.

"Alice, it's fine." Robin said, quickly, turning to face her. "It doesn't even hurt."

Alice ignored her. "I did that…" She whispered.

"No, it wasn't you." Robin said, clutching her face between her hands. "It was Gothel."

"It was me." Alice whimpered. "I hurt you."

"No! Alice! It wasn't you!" Robin grabbed her arms tightly; squeezing and making Alice listen to her. "It was Gothel! She did this! You would never hurt me, I know that."

Alice burst into harsh tears, not even hearing Robin's kind words when she was talking right at her. All she could see was her hand lashing out and throwing Robin backwards with a blast of magic and now the bruise, which was taking up almost half of her poor back. She had done that. She had done that to the one she loved. Alice had hurt her, and then she'd hurt her papa with their curse. Now her papa was gone and Robin was hurt and it was all her fault.

She barely realised what was happening when Robin had wrapped her in her arms and pulled her close, calling to her the whole time about how it wasn't her fault. She wanted to cling to her but was afraid of causing her more harm. So instead she curled her body against Robin's, sobbing into her neck and trying to make herself seem as small as possible, like that would undo the damage she caused.

At some point Robin had moved to guide Alice to the bed, climbing beneath the sheets and holding her close to her the whole time. She continued to reassure her even knowing it wasn't getting through and hoped Alice's heavy sobs were more from the shock of the day's events than actual self blame. She couldn't stand the idea of Alice suffering any more than she already head. After Alice had finally drifted to sleep house later, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, Robin gently brushed the hair from her face, making the decision right then to stay awake for her in case she had any nightmares at all during her slumber. Robin may not be able to kill Gothel or make her pay for everything she had done, for all the misery she had put her love through, but she could damn well protect Alice now that she was gone.

With that in mind, she pressed a gentle kiss to Alice's still weak cheek and sat up slightly, leaning back against the headboard. She could have a nap in the morning once she was sure Alice was alright.

Of course, a few hours later her eyes had given way and she was slumped back down on the bed, unconsciously reaching back over and cuddling Alice closely and shielding her from the world even in her sleep.


	12. Corset

**Anonymous: Robin loves those corsets Alice wears.**

* * *

How can a morning be so perfect? Was it because the sun is shining during a beautiful sunrise, streaking the blue sky with shades of pink and orange? Was it because it was just that perfect warm temperature that you can comfortably lie in bed in without sweating or shivering? Was it because there was a faint smell of the forest pine and open fields of nature outside the window, a small that always helped Robin to relax? Was it because they didn't have to worry about curses or villains or people trying to harm everyone else's happy endings in favour of their own?

Maybe. Or maybe it was Alice, standing a few short inches away from the bed, getting dressed after their wonderful night spent together.

Robin stretched out on the thick mattress, grinning slightly to herself as she watched Alice slid on the corset around her torso, over the top of a white long sleeved blouse that was incredibly see through along the chest area. Robin let her limbs relax but stayed right where she was, watching as Alice began tying the many long lace that lined up along the front of the leather material. God she loved that thing. It lined along her body perfectly, complimenting her already perfect body shape and despite it's many complicated looking laces needed to hold it in place, it was actually quite easy to remove when they needed it to be.

Suddenly Alice stopped mid tie and Robin finally pulled her eyes away from her loves torso and found Alice's sparkling blue eyes staring at her, an amused quirky smile on her lips. "You know you always wake up before me, but yet, you still stay in bed way longer."

"That's cause I love the morning view." Robin grinned, sitting up and reaching over to grab Alice's wrist, pulling her back towards the bed. "You are so sexy in that corset."

Robin had to fight the urge to laugh at the little frown that quivered on Alice's expression as she quickly ran through her mental dictionary. Sexy wasn't exactly a word she was used to here in the Enchanted Forest and she had to have a moment in order to remind herself that it was like the hotter version of cute.

Alice leaned down and kissed her softly before standing up and turning to find her long red skirt and finish getting dressed. However she didn't get very far when Robin pulled her arm sharply and dragged her back onto the bed with a surprise yelp. Then, before she could say anything else, Robin's lips were pressing down on her again and her fingers made quick work of Alice's lace, throwing the material of her corset and top over her shoulder without checking to see where it landed.

After all, Robin loved Alice's corsets. But she loved her even more without it.


	13. Match Makers

**Anonymous: Alice and Robin making their mission to find a girlfriend for Mulan.**

 _This is set in Storybrooke! I had a bit of fun with this idea. I played around with a few thoughts on which way it could go and, without spoiling the short, who would be in it but I'm pretty happy with the way I left it, haha!_

 _Also! This has a bit of a headcanon of mine that I discussed on Tumblr. That being that the "Ex" Tilly has memories of was Odette, none other than the Swan Princess._

* * *

"The first thing we need to do is make a list." Robin said, pulling the back cap off the marker and leaning over the sheet of paper spread out in front of them. It took up almost the whole table but they girls were optimistic they could fill it up before they were done. "Every girl we can think of."

"Okay then, let's see…" Alice mumbled thoughtfully from where she was sitting closely squished to her love's side. "Anastasia from the music shop definitely."

"Goldilocks, too." Robin nodded, scribbling down the two names one above the other in a formal row.

"I'm not sure if Goldie is her type though," Alice noted. "She's pretty vain about her looks, especially her hair, and Mulan's really down to earth."

Robin waved her off. "We're just thinking of everyone for now. We can start narrowing it down and cancelling out the people who aren't fit once we have everyone we can possibly think of."

"Okay… So, Anastasia, Goldilocks… Oh! Odette!" Alice said quickly.

Robin frowned and pursed her lips to the side but otherwise said nothing more about the girl who had been Tilly's ex from before the curse. It was dumb being jealous considering they never had any real time spent together. It was all fake memories put into their heads and Robin wasn't even sure if the girls had seen each other since waking but just hearing the name still made Robin want to throw something. However, knowing what they were trying to do, somehow made it easier for Robin to jot the name down. And she only drew devil horns on one 'e'.

"Who else…" Alice mused, not noticing Robin's obvious frustration, too busy staring into space and running through all the women she knew.

"Hey. What you guys up to?"

The girls glanced up and saw Henry smiling down at them. Jacinda and Lucy weren't around, but that was probably due to the fact that he was meeting them here at Granny's like he normally did when he was finished with work. Since returning, Granny's had become an official meeting spot for the Mills family, especially on days when Lucy had her ballet or other activities.

Without waiting for an invitation, Henry pulled out a chair and took a seat opposite the two girls, frowning down at the page taking up all the space between them. It really was large but at the moment it only held three names on its clear sheet in the top corner. He briefly wondered why one of the e's in Odette had two extra ears sticking along the top while the rest of it was exceptionally neat.

"We're just thinking up all the names of the local lesbian and bisexual girls in town." Robin said casually, shrugging like it was something she and Alice did every morning during breakfast.

"Oh! Ivy!" Alice said suddenly, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Yes!" Robin said with equal enthusiasm, adding Drizella's name to their list.

"Uh, Ivy's not gay." Henry said, vividly remembering the kiss she had given him back during the curse when she had wanted comfort after her mothers death.

"Lesbian and bisexual girls, Henry." Robin repeated, raising an eyebrow at him like he was being purposely stupid.

"Ivy's bi?" Henry blinked.

"Well, we don't know for sure but I always got a pretty serious vibe off her." Alice noted. "Especially when she tricked me by offering to help give papa a cure back in Wonderland. She was a little too friendly with me and very touchy feely, if you get what I'm saying."

Robin looked at her sharply before scowling and adding a slight triangle point to the end of Ivy's 'Y'. She ignored the slight smirk on Henry's lips and instead patiently nodded her head to a spot over his shoulder.

When he turned around he saw Mulan sitting in the corner booth of the diner with Philip, Aurora and Junior. Junior was on her lap and she was bouncing and tickling him until her little godson laughed up at her. Then Aurora said something and Mulan looked up, replying before laughing and looking back down at Junior, tickling him again.

"We went out for drinks with Red and Dorothy last night." Robin explained. "Red told us all about Mulan's story. It's so tragic…"

"So now!" Alice said cheerfully. "We're going to set her up!"

"You're setting Mulan up?" Henry said, dumbfounded by the idea for some reason.

"Yeah. Why not? I mean, everyone deserves a happy ending." Alice said firmly. "And it's about time Mulan got hers." She paused, raising an eyebrow at him. "Hey, do you know if Ashley's other evil step sister is interested in girls?"

Henry opened his mouth but found himself speechless. In the end, he blinked and shrugged his shoulders. "Um. No idea."

Alice nudged Robin. "Include her, but put a question mark by her name."

Nodding in agreement, Robin quickly wrote 'Tisbe' with the others, adding a delicate question mark on the right by her name before looking back up and glancing around the diner like she might see someone she forgot sitting just two tables over. Alice, meanwhile, continued to stare off into space, resting her chin in her hand and her eyes glazing over slightly as she ran through the memories of the people she had met since coming to Storybrooke. There were a lot of them, and Alice had a very keen gay-dar that helped her spot all the lesbian and gay people in town. (Magic… may be heavily involved in that little skill).

"You two…" Henry began, shaking his head.

"Henry!" Jacinda appeared, greeting her husband with a soft kiss and sweet smile before forcing herself to look towards the others. "Hi, Alice, Robin. What were you guys all talking about?"

"They're trying to find a girl to set Mulan up with." Henry said, a little smile on his lips that Robin wasn't sure came from the amusement at the girls antics of the kiss he had just received from his beautiful wife.

"What?" Jacinda said, doing a double take between the girls and Henry.

"Everyone deserves a happy ending." Alice said again with the same firm confidence like she was an expert on the matter. "And we decided to take it upon ourselves to-"

"Uh, you girls do know Mulan is already seeing someone. Right?" Jacinda asked.

Robin nearly dropped her pen. "She is?!"

"Yeah." Jacinda looked up and nodded her head. "Rapunzel."

The girls did their own double take. But rather than seeing a Victoria Belfrey back from the dead, they saw a beautiful young woman instead. She was around the same age as Mulan with dark brown skin and midnight black hair that fell all the way behind her in a single long braid along her spine. She smiled as she walked from the backroom where she had been staying over towards the groups table. She paused long enough to lean down and kiss Mulan softly before taking her seat opposite her. Immediately Rapunzel moved to rest her leg closely against Mulan's and smiled at her playfully when Mulan reached over to take her hand.

"Rapunzel?" Alice frowned. "I don't understand…"

"She's this realms Rapunzel." Jacinda grinned. "I met her the other day. She's such a sweet girl. Perfect for Mulan, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, my grandpa met her once before she came to Storybrooke." Henry looked back at the girls. "Well what do you know. She got her happy ending after all." He paused, watching their expressions. "Are you guys pouting?"

"No," Robin pouted.

"A little." Alice admitted, looking truly let down. "I wanted a go to play match maker."

"Well, you'll have to play it with someone else, I'm afraid. Come on, Henry. Lucy's waiting for us outside." Jacinda grinned, taking his hand and pulling him onto his feet. They waved at them as they left the girls to watch Mulan and her girlfriend in disappointed silence. Well, not disappointed. After all, they were happy for her.

They just wished they could have been the reason for that happiness.

"Well… Guess we could always set up Goldie and Odette." Alice noted, resting her head back into her hand again.

"I think Goldie would be better paired with Anastasia." Robin said immediately, not liking the idea of Alice being anywhere near her to play matchmaker.

Alice nodded slowly, still not noticing the way Robin was gritting her teeth. "Maybe. But then poor Odette's still single, waiting for her happy ending."

"On second though, Goldie would make a great girlfriend for Odette." Robin said quickly. "That girl deserves to be paired up already."


	14. The Rollin' Bayou

**Anonymous: Margot spending a lot of money on Rollin' Bayou. Yes, the beignets are delicious, but the real reason is because of Tilly. Also, she is starting to get a little sick after eating so many.**

* * *

Sabine's famous beignets were famous for a reason. They were delicious! Everything about them was always done to perfection, from the texture to the flavouring, even to the lingering taste it left on your tongue after you had finished swallowing the piece you had taken a large bite of. And despite how many other places you tried, you would never find anywhere that made them as wonderfully on point as the Rollin' Bayou did.

Yes, Sabine's beignets were famous pieces of perfection fried in a little place of heaven, otherwise known as a food truck. No one in all of Hyperion Heights would ever turn down one of her tasty snacks if she came around and offered them one. No one, except maybe Margot West, and yet, even she still came to get a piece of two every now and then.

Standing in line, Margot cringed at the sickly smell of the fresh beignets being made up, wrapped in careful bags and soft napkins before being handed off to the many people waiting patiently outside the trucks open window. As usual, it was a pretty long line of customers. Margot had come earlier than usual, telling Roni she was going to be taking her lunch break in town like she usually did, and yet there were still plenty of people for her to wait behind of, pushing Sabine and her employees to get a move on if they wanted to serve everyone in time. Margot didn't think she'd even seen Roni's - a freaking bar for crying out loud - as busy as the Rollin' Bayou was during the lunch hour and, not for the first time, she worried she was going to spend her whole break just waiting to get her lunch and then have no time to actually eat it. Not to mention the other things she wanted to do during the limited free time she had.

Margot sighed and glanced around her, trying not to cringe so obviously as she began breathing out of her mouth to avoid the smell. What was once a gorgeous scent now made her want to run away in the opposite direction to keep her stomach from twisting. But Margot forced herself to stay in line, wetting her lips and swallowing hard, willing her mind to focus on why she was here, which, unlike everyone else, wasn't actually for the sweetly prepared treats.

Taking a breath, and instantly regretting it when her nose filled with another fresh batch of beignets, she remembered the first time she had ever tasted one of Sabine's specialities. She had been in a bad mood after having a fight with her mother and had come to this random bench in the middle of town in order to sit down and just sulk it out, maybe blow off a bit of steam and work through her irritation in bitter silence. And then, she had been given a free sample of a non-traditionally shaped beignet. It had tasted delicious and been in the shape of a real heart, not the fake cartoon hearts people associate with love nowadays. When she had taken her first bite, she had enjoyed it as much as anyone else, and it really had been a lovely snack to put her in a good mood… But it hadn't been the best thing for her to experience that day.

The last person in front of her collected her food and moved out of the way. Margot stepped forward quickly with a bright smile…

… That immediately dropped when Sabine stepped up to serve her.

"Oh… Hey, Sabine." Margot said, trying to put her smile back on.

"Hi, Margot." Sabine said, giving her a knowing look. Then, before the younger woman could say anything else, she turned to the side. "Hey, Tilly! Take over for a second. I need to… I dunno. Count our stock."

Margot felt herself blush but after Sabine vanished and familiar face stepped in to take her place, her embarrassment disappeared and her smile returned.

The Rollin' Bayou made some pretty awesome beignets and they really were damn delicious… But they weren't the reason why Margot was having to take double shifts in order to make up all the money she spent here. No, the real reason Margot was going bankrupt and the real reason she stood here, in line despite the beignets beginning to make her nauseous after having so many practically so often, was because of her:

Tilly.

"Hey, Margot!" Tilly beamed happily. "The usual?"

"You betcha," Margot beamed, all sickly feelings gone and instead she felt a warm burst fluttering in her chest. "Thanks, Tilly. You going on break soon?"

"Same time as every other day…" Sabine mumbled, though neither girl heard her, nor saw the amused smile playing on her lips as she stood slightly to the side.

"Yeah, ten minutes." Tilly nodded.

"I'll save you a seat." Margot said, accepting the bag from her outstretched hand and passing over the exact change she had been fiddling with during her wait. She turned and walked cheerfully over to the bench where she and Tilly first met, happily waiting the extra few minutes for the other girl to join her before she began eating. The beignets were luke warm by that time and even more sickly than they were the day before, but they were still worth it when they were eaten in Tilly's company.


	15. The Ring & The Letter

**Anonymous: Robin reading Alice's letter while holding the engagement ring.**

 _The letter was actually a separate ask someone asked me to write up a while ago but I decided to combine it into this short request! On Tumblr and AO3 I can cross out sentences, but I don't think I can do it on here. So all parts that are underlined are lines that Alice has crossed out in the letter._

 _For a better look at how the letter should appear, you can visit my Tumblr:_ _enixamyram -dot- tumblr -dot- com / post / 173540840654 / can-you-write-alice-s-letter-to-robin-i-want-to_

* * *

While her mother went to help Regina stop the curse before it started, Robin took it upon herself to visit some of the local villages nearby and give the poor citizens a fair warning of what was possibly to come for them. She knew some people might overreact and a few could even panic and do something stupid in their fear, but she also knew that they had a right to know. They deserved the chance to say goodbye to those they loved while they still remembered them.

God knows when they would be reunited again.

Robin was just heading out of a small families home - there was no mayor or local elective in this village, meaning she had to visit everyone one at a time in an annoyingly slow pace - when she heard someone call her name. Not many people knew her by name around these parts (they either called her Girl Hood or That Female Archer) so even if she hadn't recognised the voice, she still would have known them to be a friend.

Turning around, Robin instantly smiled as she rushed over towards the man jogging her way. Killian was becoming a good friend due to his relationship with her aunt and mother, but even more so since she and Alice had begun to see one another romantically. In fact, she'd even begun passing letters between the two so they could stay in touch as much as non-physically possible.

"Killian! Is everything okay?" Robin asked. It clearly wasn't a casual visit, not while Drizella and her threat were looming so closely overhead.

"Robin…" Killian said, then paused and shook his head like he wasn't sure how to say something. "I can't stay." He admitted finally. "I need to get back to help your mother and aunt but well… I have this." He pulled out a small brown envelope. "It's from Alice."

Robin paused as her heart jumped in her chest, looking up at him wide eyed. "From Alice?" She whispered, then snatched the letter form his hand. She went to tear it open immediately but paused and looked up at him. "Good luck." She said. "I… I hope things'll-"

She didn't get any further when Killian had leaned forward and pulled her into a tight hug, almost crushing the letter between them. Robin quickly returned it, shutting her eyes for a moment and holding onto him in a way she wished Alice could. "They will be." Killian said. "I promise."

"See you soon?" Robin said when they finally broke apart.

"Aye," Killian nodded, pausing once more before turning and running off again.

Robin waited, watching him go and disappear completely from sight before she turned back to the letter in her hand. She wanted to open it right away but more than that she wanted to wait until she was alone. For some reason, she just knew this letter was personal and she couldn't bring herself to read it in front of anyone, even Alice's beloved father. It was a moment to be had for just her and Alice alone. The rest of the world was not invited to see the words written inside.

Robin reached up, tracing the word 'Love' on the front carefully with a finger, imagining Alice writing it with all the care in the world before turning it around and peeling it open. Her hands were shaking and as much as she wanted to tear it up to reach the letter inside, she forced herself to be careful, not even wanting to damage the envelope as much as the actual letter. When she reached inside, Robin handled the paper as if it were a thin glass that was easily shattered and tucked the envelope into her pocket before she turned the letter around in her hands, staring down at the words engraved with a careful black ink. She recognised Alice's beautiful handwriting and resisted the urge to hug the letter like a child. However she did need to do something, so instead she reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring.

It had taken her almost three years to save up her money to get it. Rings like this weren't common in the Enchanted Forest like they would have been back in Storybrooke - it was silver with six small diamonds leading away from the centre diamond - but Robin knew people and had made enough friends that she could pull some strings and call in some favours. She'd even been able to get an engraving on the inside, deciding to choose the words "Freedom" because that truly was Alice's happy ending. And she wanted nothing more than to be apart of that ending.

With the ring now clenched in one hand and the letter pinched between the fingers in the other, Robin allowed herself to read. The ring wasn't much, it hadn't even been touched by Alice yet, but she still somehow found some strength in it, almost like she was holding her true love's hand.

It felt right.

 _Dear Robin_  
 _This is my 5th attempt at writing this. Feels like my 100th. I'm running out of paper. I've never had such a hard time putting my thoughts into words until now. Maybe it's because I don't even know if you'll get it in time but I hope so. I hope I can see you one last time. before._  
 _The dark curse is coming. Not sure if you know yet. Rumplestiltskin told me. No idea how he knows but It's coming and I can't leave Rumplestiltskin, not after everything he's done for me. I'd like to see you. That's what this letter is about. I hope you don't mind, I know you probably want to be with your mum but if you could just come and see me just for a moment. There's somethin But I know you'll want to stay with your mum and the rest of your family. So I'll just tell you everything I want to say in this letter instead. I hope you get it in time._

 _This page looks like a mess. I should restart on a fresh piece but if I do I don't think I'll ever finish it in time. So here goes._

 _I'm in love with you. I know neither of us have actually said it aloud before and maybe you don't feel the same way but that's okay but I love you and if you don't then that's okay. I'm not trying to guilt you into anything. Not that either of us is going to remember in a few hours. But I just needed to say it._  
 _You finding me that day. Us going after the troll together. That was the single greatest day of my life. Even better than when I left the tower because when I left I was still alone, but after that day with you I wasn't. I've never been alone since. Even when you're not here I still don't feel alone. You've kept me in touch with papa, passing letters for us, and you have no idea how much that meant to me._  
 _I just need you to know how much you mean to me. I can't lose you myself without telling you how I feel first. I need you to know. And this is it. I love you. I think I've loved you since we met. Maybe even before that. I didn't I think my life outside the tower, when I was travelling realms, I think I was searching for someone like you. You mean the world to me and if nothing else comes out of this curse, I hope I find my way back to you hope you find happiness. All I want is for you to be happy, like you've made me._

 _Love From_  
 _Love Alice._

By the end of the letter, Robin was crying. She tried to hold them back, and it had only started with a few tears escaping the corner of her eyes, but by the end of the letter she found she was gasping for breath. It was hard to tell if she cried for the beauty of it, or the sadness at knowing that not only did Alice clearly doubt Robin's feelings for her, but on top of that, Alice was probably right. The curse was coming and they wouldn't have time for each other. And then they would be forced to forget one another. Robin could be given the best life imaginable, one with money and friends and family. But so long as she didn't also have Alice, it truly would be a curse.

Robin turned and looked down at her hand, uncurling her fingers from the ring still sitting on her palm. It wasn't fair. It had taken her so long to save up the money and then just as long to gather the courage and prepare herself for actually asking her. She had planned to do it next week. She asked Alice to meet her in town, where she knew their family would be meeting for an annual gathering they had every few months to stay in touch, and she had been ready to ask her in front of everyone. Except now… Now it wasn't going to happen.

And then there was the other part. The part where Alice was unsure of whether or not Robin felt the same way. Yes, they'd never said it out loud but then Robin had always assumed it was because they didn't need to. Their feelings were so sure and yet Alice was so nervous, so afraid and unsure. It hurt knowing Alice didn't think Robin loved her back, especially while she stood with the ring she had wanted to propose with.

Robin glanced up to the sky. It was midday. If Alice was still with Rumplestiltskin then that meant she was probably by the Imps home, not far from Alice's own. It wasn't exactly a long, long journey, but it wasn't short either. It would take her some time to get there on foot. There was no saying Robin would even reach her in time and there were still other people she should warn of the curse who were closer by…

But it was Alice!

She had to try.

Carefully tucking the letter back into the envelope, Robin started running with it held tightly in her hand. She placed the ring safely back into her pocket, though she had no idea if she was going to propose now when she saw her while they still had the chance or if she just wanted to keep it near, to save it for a more joyful time.

All she did know, was that if this was going to happen, then she was going to be by her love's side, no matter what.


	16. Tea Party

**Anonymous: Alice,Robin and the girls are having a tea party! (go on with that)**

 _So two things to say about this short._

 _1st - it includes two of my OCs. Aka, Desirae and Blessing Jones, the daughters of Alice and Robin Jones. Real quickly summary in case you haven't been to my tumblr: Alice and Robin adopted Desirae (Rae) and then, shortly after seeing how wonderful it was having a family, Alice accidentally used her magic to get pregnant with her and Robin's second daughter, Blessing._

 _2nd - I originally debated posting these kind of shorts in with this story because I actually wanted to do a separate story for this stuff. In the end I decided I will still (eventually) do a proper family story but I'm still posting here anyway, because these shorts are just very quick rough drafts that I bang out without much care put into them. When I finally make the other story, it will not only be in more detail and care, but will also be in the right order because at the moment I just post the shorts as I get them so we're gonna be going back and forth a bit XP._

 _So in this story, Desirae and Blessing are around four and five years old._

* * *

Blessing was a sporty girl who also happened to be a clumsy girl at the same time, which meant there was rarely a moment when Alice and Robin didn't hear her running and jumping around the house or in the garden. In turn, Desirae was stealthy, but with a voice that would put a fog horn to shame. Ever since she learned to talk, she gabbled loudly to whoever was in the room and god forbid if you ignored her, even if only for a moment, because then she would raise her voice to unnatural volumes until you didn't.

All in all when the girls came together, they were a frighteningly loud pair, which was what made the silence in the house all that more disturbing. In fact it only took Alice and Robin a few minutes of quiet cuddling on the sofa, enjoying the peace before they became worried. Without a word being said, the two shared a look before standing and making their way through the house in search of the two young girls, just to make sure they were okay.

They found them in their bedroom.

They had pulled out their usual study table into the middle of the room and had set up the tea cups and plates that Alice has gotten them for their birthday last week. Not only that, but they were dressed up as well. Somehow Rae had gotten into her mothers draw and had dragged on one of Robin's fancy white blouses, using it as a dress that fell to her ankles while Blessing wore her best summer dress from her own closet and Alice's overly large leather gloves. Both their hair had been (badly) tied up in pony tails with matching silk ribbons that came from Alice and Robin's her-her dressing gowns, and they had even dug into Robin's shoes and found brightly coloured heels (yellow for Rae that Robin had only worn once to a wedding and blue for Blessing) that dangled off of their toes whenever they lifted their feet off the ground.

At first they girls didn't notice their mothers and they hummed cheerfully as they set up their stuffed toys around the table on the four chairs they had, making some sit on the others lap in order for them all to fit. Finally they sat back to begin and Rae quickly picked up the tea pot before spotting her mothers still hovering i the doorway.

"Welcome!" Rae said loudly, making her voice even higher than it already was and putting on an accent she had heard some of the snobby rich women use whenever they went to shop in town. "We were having a tea party! Do join us!"

"Yeah!" Blessing said, not bothering to change her voice as she bounced on her chair. "Sit down, mama, mummy! Sit! Sit! Sit!"

Alice beamed, feeling suddenly excited almost as much as her daughters. "Why we'd love to!" She hooked her arm through Robin's and dragged her down to crouch between the girls and their toys. "My, this looks lovely!"

"I made sugar plum biscuits!" Rae announced, picking up a plate and holding it towards them. "Won't you try some?"

"Gimme!" Blessing 'grabbed' a handful of imaginary treats and pretended to eat them all.

"Blessing! You have to share!" Rae moaned.

"Now, now. It's okay." Alice said, pretending to lay out something on one of the plates. "Look, I made plenty for everyone!"

"Yummy! What did you make, mama?" Blessing asked excitedly.

"Your favourites." Alice grinned. "Custard cream!"

Blessing gasped. "Can we have real custard cream, mama?!"

"Blessing!" Rae moaned, stomping her foot (which slid in and out of the heel with ease). "We are having real custard cream! Stop ruining it!"

"Be nice," Robin said, trying not to smile. "Now, would you pour me some tea, ma'am?"

Rae's irritating faded and she giggled at being referred to in such a way, reaching over and pouring the tea into Robin's cup. Then she did the same for Alice. "Be careful," She warned them, putting her high royal voice back on. "It's very hot."

"Ouch!" Blessing cried when she went to pick up her cup.

"I haven't poured yours yet, Blessing!" Rae snapped.

"I poured it myself!" Blessing said, sticking her tongue out. "And it's very hot so be careful."

Rae hesitated then nodded her approval before picking up her cup, sticking out both her pinkies and making a loud slurping sound as she threw it back.

"Mmm, this is very delicious tea, ma'am." Alice said proudly. "Shall Mr Hatter have some?"

She was, of course, referring to the white rabbit she had given the girls. The only toy they treated carefully and made sure not to ruin as Alice had made sure they understood just how precious he was to her. It was surprisingly easy, which was why Alice insisted both her daughters were very mature and smart for their ages.

"Yes, Mr Hatter needs some custard cream too, for taking care of mama in her tower." Blessing said, grabbing the plate and pretending to feed the rabbit. "Yum, yum, YUM!"

"Give Mr Hatter some tear, Blessing. He must be thirsty after so many biscuits." Rae nodded formally.

"Keep them busy." Robin whispered to Alice suddenly, standing and dashing from the room.

"Where's mummy going? It's rude to leave in the middle of tea!" Rae said angrily, crossing her arms and scowling after her.

"She'll be back. She just went to get the cake." Alice promised.

"We already made cake!" Rae grumbled. "I made special chocolate cake with brownie pieces and smarties and cream and jelly and syrup and marshmallow, too." She waved to the large plate sitting in the middle of the table.

"Oh, may I have a piece?" Alice asked quickly.

Forgetting her momentary upset at her mothers departure, Rae smiled at her. "But of course!" She pretended to cut a slice and held it out to Alice. "Don't drop any down you." She said, repeating what her mothers had told her many times whenever they had a messy treat - something she always did anyway.

"I want cake!" Blessing shouted, reaching and grabbing imaginary handfuls.

"BLESSING!" Rae snapped, stomping her foot again and accidentally kicking one of her heels off.

Before they could start shouting at one another, Robin appeared back in the doorway. "Everyone gather around Mr Hatter." Robin announced, pulling out her mobile phone. "This is special tea party and he wants a picture to remember it."

Without pause Rae and Blessing were smiling again as they jumped up, pushing other stuffed animals out the way and sitting on either side of the rabbit, beaming happily as they reached over and held hands on the rabbits furry lap. They waited patiently as Robin and Alice took a seat beside them and finally seemed to hold still. Robin leaned close and stretched her arm out to take the selfie, but couldn't quite fit everyone in, at least not with Mr Hatter in the middle.

Before she could suggest clustering together any tighter, Alice smiled and subtly waved a hand. One of the nearby plant plots the girls had hanging over the window of their room gave a slight shake. They all knew what was happening so no one reacted when one of the plants roots grew out from the dirt and drifted through the air. It took the phone from Robin's hand and pulled it back until Alice stopped it. When they were all in the shot, they beamed as Alice twitched her finger under the table, getting the root to tap its tip against the screen and taking the picture for them.

Since then, the picture had been printed out and now sat beside the television in their living room. Four goofy girls and their rabbit, having a mad tea party.


	17. Snowball Fight

**Anonymous: Alice and girls having snowball fight but they didn't let Robin play along because of her perfect aiming!**

 _Rae and Blessing are around five and six here and I kind of picture this event happening in the Enchanted Forest. So maybe the girls have a holiday home there that they visit every now and then! XP_

* * *

"AH!" Alice shrieked, ducking and avoiding a pair of snowballs that instead hit the fence she was hiding behind of.

She quickly scooped up a ball of snow before standing and throwing it over the fence without looking. She heard a pair of shrieks and grinned as she ducked down, shivering at the snow that had gotten under her brown leather gloves and that was soaking through her shoes until her toes felt numb. In fact her whole body was cold, and at one point she'd lost the hat that had been holding her hair back, letting her blonde strands wave wildly around her face whenever she moved quickly to avoid the snowballs thrown her way.

Alice heard the girls before she saw them. Despite Desirae's talent for staying quiet, she was paired with Blessing who was unable to keep from stomping on the thick crunching snow under her feet. Alice turned and grabbed two armfuls of snow against her chest, crouching on the spot and waiting. A second later the girls appeared, snowballs in hand, but before they could throw them, Alice had launched the bundles of snow into their faces. They turned away with twin cries and Blessing slipped, falling face first. It might have hurt a normal child, even with the thick snow between them and the floor, but Blessing had never been normal and she instantly scrambled onto her hands and knees, beaming as she looked around with snow clinging to her face and the strands of short blonde hair that were peeking out of her winter hat.

Before the girls could do anything else, Alice jumped at them. Blessing was faster and ducked and slid out of the way but poor Rae couldn't quite keep up and Alice wrapped her arms around her dragging them both to the ground and into the snow.

Rae began shrieking, loud enough to split Alice's eardrums but she refused to let go. "Blessing! Blessing! Help!"

A second later Blessing was back, shoving a handful of snow into Alice's face and causing her to let go.

"Run! Run away!" Rae called as the two girls dived across the front garden and behind the makeshift fort they had created earlier on.

"Alice? You okay?" Robin called.

"Yeah." Alice gasped, sitting up and brushing snow from her face, grinning as she crawled back behind the fence. "It's not over yet!"

Robin laughed. She was settled on the porch, holding Alice's hat from where she had lost it almost at the very start of their game. When Rae had come up with the idea of having a snowball fight to celebrate the first heavy snowfall of the year, she hadn't even let Robin stand before demanding that her mother stay out of it. At first Robin had been confused, until Blessing said that Robin cheated when they played because she used her archery skills to hit them at impossible angles.

After that, Robin had been too amused to be hurt. She'd tried explaining her archery was no different to Blessing's speed but neither girl would listen. Insisting that they play their game with Alice (with whom they had a much better chance at winning). From there Robin had simply sat on the side, cradling a cup of hot chocolate and watching the girls tag team against their mama in ways that was so ruthless, she was more than a little proud of them.

"Come on, Alice," Robin called, taking a sip of her drink with Alice's hand dangling from her fingers. "You're going to let your own daughters beat you?"

Alice stuck her tongue out at her before she began setting up a series of snowballs, piling them at her side and ready for use. Across from her, Robin saw Blessing and Rae doing the same thing. They wore twin coats (brought orange with pink fur) and were bundled into their usual winter gear, including their matching bobbled hats, scarves and gloves (yellow for Rae and pink for Blessing). Rae's hair was missing its hairband and unlike Alice's hat, Robin doubt she would be able to find it amongst the snow that had been kicked and thrown in every direction.

Robin began stomping her feet on the wooden floorboards like a drum roll and calling out. "It's down to the wire! Who will make the final move! The finishing blow! Who will win this snow ball showdown! The crowd can hardly contain themselves!" She half cupped her mouth with her free hand, making sounds like a roaring crowd.

Blessing looked up and giggled until Rae grabbed her arm and forced her to pay attention to their snowballs. Unfortunately for them, Alice was faster and now carried her many weapons in her arms and she began sneaking around the fence and towards their fort. The girls didn't have any time to even notice she was there when she bombarded them from above.

They let out screams and began blinding through their snowballs back at her and after Alice ran out of her own, she tried to turn and retreat. Tried, being the key word as Blessing darted out and grabbed her leg, knocking her to the ground. Robin laughed, wondering what Killian would say if he saw how much they rough housed. He was such a protective grandpa. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Robin throwing the girls into the air and catching them outside, sure she was going to miss and drop them. (Robin would have been insulted if she hadn't also been laughing at the jerks his face made like back when he was cursed and dying.)

With Alice on the ground, the girls began throwing handfuls of snow on her, no longer bothering with balls and instead just slapping what they could like it was water from the ocean. Alice shrieked and tried to crawl away but she didn't try too hard and the girls easily kept up with her, continuing to throw move snow on top of her.

Okay. Robin decided. That was enough. She'd let them have their fun. She placed her empty cup down on the side of the bench and tucked Alice's hair underneath so it wouldn't get lost. Then, while the girls were all distracted, she began making snowballs just like they did, piling them on the side of the porch fence with slow care.

She took her time and still finished before any of them had noticed. After that… She took aim… And fired.

She hit Rae in the back, surprising the young girl who looked around, wide eyed and confused. Then she caught sight of Robin just before she threw the second ball to hit Blessing's back shoulder.

"No fair, mummy! You can't play!" Rae snapped angrily.

"Mummy's true love is in danger." Robin said, smirking at her daughter. "She'll save her."

"That's cheating!" Blessing cried, standing and pouting.

"Yup!"

Robin threw the next one and hit Blessing's feet. Despite her upset, she instantly giggled and that broke whatever anger the girls had. Rae squealed and dived back for their hide out, calling her sister to follow so they could regroup.

While the girls ran away, Robin jumped the porch and ran over to Alice. "You alright, love? Need a knight in shinning… well an archer in a green hood, to save you?"

Alice sat up, spluttering snow from her lips. She was positively covered now, her hair sticking to her face as much as the snow, and one of her gloves was missing, lying half buried a few feet away from her. But despite the fact that she was frozen blue in some places and pink in the other, she was grinning, almost as excitedly as Blessing and Rae.

"What took you?!" She demanded, grinning and accepting Robin's hand back onto her feet.

"Hey, I was told I wasn't allowed to play." Robin shrugged innocently.

Alice brushed the snow and hair from her face. "So what changed your mind then?" She asked breathlessly.

"Like I said, my true love was in danger." Robin said, leaning over and kissing her. Her lips were ice cold from the snow and in turn her own must have felt like fire. Alice grabbed her arms and squeezed, clinging to her and holding the kiss.

"EW!"

They broke apart to see the girls frowning at them. "This is war!" Rae snapped angrily. "No kissing in war!"

"Are you kidding?" Robin asked. "Kissing's the best weapon, don't you think, love?"

"Oh I agree." Alice said, grinning.

Rae realised what was about to happen before Blessing, so despite Blessing's natural speed, she was caught first by Robin who pulled her into the snow, wrapping her arms around her and layering her cold face with warm kisses. A second later Alice appeared with Rae, dragging her back and doing the same with the two girls shrieking with laughter and struggling against them. By the time they were done, they were all breathless and tired, staring up at the grey sky, side by side in the snow.

"I h-h-hope it never st-stops snowing!" Blessing said.

"Okay. When teeth start chattering it's time to go inside." Robin said strictly.

"Awwww! Mummy!" The girls and Alice all said together.

Robin raised an eyebrow at Alice who grinned and shrugged, finally standing and brushing some snow from her clothes. "Okay, mummy's right. The snow's not going anywhere."

"But we never finished our game." Rae complained, shivering even as she had a line of sweat on her forehead.

"We'll finish it tomorrow. Come on. Or else mummy and I will drink all the hot chocolate ourselves." Alice said, linking her arm with Robin's.

They'd barely taken a step when both girls shot passed them to the door. "Hurry up, mama, mummy! Hurry up!" They called as they ran inside, not even bothering to kick the snow off of their feet.

"They definitely inherited your energy. I can't keep up you three." Robin sighed. She purposely began dragging her feet, taking this moment to have a romantic walk through the snow with her wife.

"That's why we're a team. I wear them down and then you tuck them in later." Alice grinned, leaning over and kissing her cheek. Then she pulled back and winked. "You just save the extra energy for warming me up later."

Now that was something to look forward to. Robin paused, turning to give Alice another kiss when the girls heads appeared in the window. They knocked hard on the glass with their balled up fists. "Come on!" They called impatiently, their voices only slightly muffled.

"Hey!" Robin snapped, her and Alice rushing inside. "Don't bang on the window like that!"


	18. Trouble In Two Minutes

**Anonymous: Kids are running around and cause some trouble but Alice can't say no to the kids because they are so cute and look like her Robin.(Also she thinks it's fun too) Robin is like "what am I gonna do with you, I have three kids!)**

 _Set in Hyperion Heights! The kids are around 4-5 years old._

* * *

Robin left the room for two minutes. Two short minutes to stick her head down the hall and get some foam cups of juice for the girls while they waited for Grandpa Killian to finish his shift and join them for their usual Friday lunch. Just. Two. God. Damn. Minutes.

Two minutes!

"What the he- honey?" Robin said, catching herself just in time to keep from swearing.

They had come to wait in Rogers and Weaver's office just a short while ago. Alice had sat on the desk while Robin hovered by her side and they had allowed their daughters to steal the detectives chairs. Everything had been as it should have and Robin had ducked out for two minutes to get them drinks when they complained.

Two minutes.

Now, the girls were spinning on the chairs from either side of the room, kicking the walls and furniture in order to keep going, and while Alice was trying to act casual where she now leaned by the window, Robin immediately noticed the neat stack of paperwork that had been on Weaver's desk was no longer quite as neat. In fact it looked like it had been knocked over and hastily stuffed back in place in an uneven and criss crossed pile. Killian's pencil holder was also lying on its side and there were crude drawings on one of the desk legs of animals and love hearts.

"How… What…" Robin shook her head. "You'd think I'd be used to this by now…"

"Used to what?" Alice blinked innocently.

"Your inability to say no to them." Robin said, sighing and walking over to fix Weaver's paperwork, even knowing he would probably see straight away that it was out of its original order.

"I don't have a…" Alice started then fell silent and gave a shy smile. "Well. They were having fun." She shrugged.

"Yeah and Weaver's going to be pissed when he comes down to find what they've done to his desk." Robin noted, looking down at the girlish doodles on the harsh detectives leg.

Alice snorted loudly, not even bothering to respond. They both knew Rumple would have a mental struggle with himself, caught between annoyance and that special soft spot he had for Alice and her daughters. And then, he would blow out a breath, say nothing, and take it out on the next poor officer who got in his way or gave him the wrong coffee order. And that was if he was even annoyed at all. Otherwise he'd just roll his eyes and say nothing.

"Girls, enough!" Robin called, walking over and grabbing Blessing's chair, jerking the young girl to a stop.

"Ha!" Rae shouted still spinning. "I win!"

"No fair," Blessing stood and immediately stumbled, dizzy enough that she fell against the desk, grabbing the wires for support and ending up with her dragging Roger's computer right off of his desk onto the floor.

There was a moments pause after the crashing had ceased echoing around the room and even Rae came to a slow stop, her mouth shaped in a silent O. Then Robin reached up, pressing a hand to her face and sighing while Alice giggled, walking over and helping guide Blessing back to her chair.

As soon as she was sat down, Alice glanced over to Rae. "Ready for round two?"

"Yeah!" Rae grinned and even Blessing, still dizzy, nodded excitedly.

Robin shook her head again, staring at Alice as she counted down before the girls kicked off and began spinning once more. "I have three children." She said in a deadpan voice, staring at her wife and raising an eyebrow.

"And we're all adorable." Alice said, sticking her tongue out before her expression shifted to worry and her eyes drifted to the floor. "So uh…" She pointed to the laptop. "Is it broken?"


	19. Adopted

**Anonymous: Desiare had a nightmare and snoop into their mothers bed for comfort. The nightmare is about how she is not their biological kid and she was having hard time of it. Alice tells her her biological mother and how being family doesn't always require blood.(can you go on with that, I really want an emotional family time, the last family pic is made my heart swell**

 _Set in Hyperion Heights and the girls are around six-seven years old._  
 _This story mostly focuses on Rae with bits of mama Alice and a tiny bit of cute Curious Archer at the end!_

* * *

Rae had discovered the truth about her adoption just a few days earlier, and it had plagued on her mind ever since. She'd been playing hide and seek with Blessing and the Mills twins at the time. It was her turn to hide while Blessing counted and she had rushed into the kitchen, ducking into the cupboard under the sink - her mums needed to go shopping for supplies soon so there was a lot of empty space for her small body to squeeze into. She sat waiting in the dark, listening to the mumble of her mums friends and family members next door and the pattering of clumsy feet upstairs.

That was where Rae had been hiding when uncle Henry and aunt Ella came back into the kitchen to get some more drinks for everyone. At first she'd been focused on listening out for the inevitable squeals of the twins once they were caught, so much so, that she didn't notice what they were talking about her until they said her name.

They were discussing adoption. Apparently they were considering it, since it had worked out so well for Alice and Robin before they had Blessing. At first Rae was confused, trying to remember what adoption was… And then she remembered. Mum had explained it to her once that aunt Emma was Henry's bio mother while aunt 'Gina was Henry's adopted mother.

Henry was adopted. And so was she.

The shock had left Rae hidden under the cupboard for hours, long after Blessing had given up searching and had instead began calling for her. She'd heard clearly when her mums began to grow worried and they sent out a search party around the house for her but had ignored it. They were just about to go out and search the streets when mama used a spell on Rae's favourite blanket in order to find her. That just confirmed it. Otherwise they would have used themselves for the spell. But there was no relation between them to use…

Now she was lying awake, staring at Blessing sleeping soundly across the room. She hadn't told them she knew. She'd pretended to have fallen asleep before Henry and Ella came in and they all believed her. The rest of the day, and the days that followed, Rae had been too busy trying to get Blessing to leave her alone to think about it properly. The only time she had any peace was at night, but now a nightmare had woken her up, taking even that from her.

In the nightmare, she and Blessing had been chased by dark shadows. Mum and mama showed up to save them, only to pick up Blessing and turn away. She'd call for them but mama had tearfully told her that they loved her, but these shadows were her real parents. Her mums had cried while the shadows loomed over her, they wanted to help but couldn't because she wasn't really theirs.

Rae had woken just as the shadow had grabbed her hair, pulling like the mean boys in school. Now she lay awake, staring at the girl she thought was her sister. Everyone always said Blessing looked like their mums. And not just because of the blonde hair and the bright smile. She even had each of their eyes. One blue and one green - everyone always complimented them. Rae didn't look like either of them, with dark brown hair and matching brown eyes. She'd never thought much of it before but now it all made so much sense…

The worst part was not knowing how to feel. Part of her wanted to cry and part of her wanted to scream. And part of her felt dumb. Uncle Henry was adopted but he was happy. Rae knew her mums loved her but… What if those people (it didn't feel right thinking of them as her mum or dad) showed up like Emma did? Rae didn't want them. She didn't want extra parents. She just wanted her mums.

Knowing she wouldn't be getting back to sleep that night, Rae climbed from the sheets and edged out of the room. Blessing was a deep sleeper, but she still tiptoed like she had a private secret to keep. Once in the hallway, she hurried into the next room where her mums were both sleeping. Except, unlike Blessing, mama was a light sleeper.

"Rae?" Alice mumbled as soon as she heard the squeaking of the door being pushed open, squinting at the sudden light from the hallway that hit her hard in the face. She sat up, pushing the hair from her eyes. "What's wrong, Sea-Turtle?" She said, using the affectionate nickname she sometimes had for her eldest daughter.

"Mama," Rae said, crossing the room and standing beside the bed at her side. "I know I'm adopted."

Alice paused, looking more thoughtful than shocked. "I thought you might." She said finally, reaching down and lifting her up onto her lap. "Henry was worried you'd overheard him." She wrapped her arms around her tightly. "You know it doesn't mean anything, right? We love you just as much as your sister."

"I know." Rae mumbled.

"But it still bothers you? You know DNA doesn't mean anything. You are always our daughter." Alice insisted.

"What's DNA?" Rae frowned.

"It's like… Well it's what makes two people biologically related." Alice explained. "Remember, Emma is Henry's bio mum? Well bio is short for biological and that's what DNA is."

"Oh." Rae mumbled, frowning down at her lap. "What is someone with my DNA comes for me? Like Emma did for uncle Henry?"

"Well Henry went to get Emma. Otherwise she wouldn't have found him." Alice assured her. "So you don't need to worry about that. And anyway, the United Realms have a protection spell over it, remember? So no one is going to get in unless we want them to." She hesitated. "Unless you want them to…"

"I don't." Rae said, shaking her head, tears filling her eyes. "I don't want any other parents. I just want you and mum… But… If they're my bio parents then I have to."

"Why do you think that?" Alice stressed.

"Cause Henry… His bio parents found him…" Rae mumbled. "Even his dad… We read it in Lucy's storybook."

"That was a special case," Alice stressed.

"But they found him. Cause DNA means you got to find your family. Even if you don't want to." Rae whimpered.

Alice hesitated. "Rae… Did I ever tell you about my biological mother?"

Rae lifted her head suddenly, blinking back tears. "I thought you didn't have a mummy."

"I don't." Alice said firmly. Then hesitated and gathered her thoughts. "But there was a woman who said she was. Because we shared DNA. She tried to hurt my actual family and she thought I would be okay with that because she was my biological mother. But I wasn't. Because DNA doesn't mean anything. Family isn't about blood, it's about who loves you and who wants the best for you. Emma loves Henry and wants the best for him, and that's why she's in his life as well as his other mum. Gothel didn't love me, and she didn't want the best for me, so she isn't in my life. Do you understand?"

"I think so…" Rae mumbled.

"No matter what DNA or blood or biology says, family is only ever the people that love you. And your mum and I love you with all our hearts. So we're your family and we won't let anyone else take you away from us." Alice insisted.

"That's right." Robin said suddenly, sitting up and leaning over to put her arms around Alice and their daughter.

Rae's throat tightened and she sniffled, wiping a few escaping tears on the back of her hand. "I love you too." Rae said, turning and wrapping her arms around them as best as she could at the awkward position she was sat with her legs still hanging over the side.

"Come on, then, let's get you back to bed." Alice said, lifting and setting her back on her feet.

"Or you can sleep in our bed tonight." Robin offered.

"That's okay. I wanna sleep in my own room." Rae said proudly.

"Come on."

After Alice had led Rae back into her room and tucked her back into her soft sheets, she gave her an equally soft kiss on the forehead and eased silently out of the room, leaving the door open so a small amount of light squeezed through the gap. She was only gone for a few second after Rae had shut her eyes when she heard a shuffling and felt the bed dipping. Opening her eyes she found Blessing squeezing into the space on the bed beside her.

"You okay?" Blessing said in a loud whisper.

"Mmm-hmm." Rae nodded. Then paused. "Hey, Blessing. You know I'm not related to you, right? Cause I'm adopted."

"Like Henry?" Blessing quizzed.

"Yeah," Rae nodded.

Blessing paused, then shrugged her shoulders. "But you're still my sister, right?"

Rae grinned. "Yeah."

"Good." Blessing nodded, curling up beside her. "Night."

"Goodnight little sis." Rae whispered, placing her hand softly over Blessing's and smiling as she shut her eyes.

Outside in the hallway, Alice watched the girls through the gap with a grin on her face, waiting until their breathing had evened out and they had officially gone back to sleep before she slipped away. She eased back into her own room quietly so as not to disturb them further. Robin was laying awake, waiting for her return and watched silently as Alice crawl back in beside her.

"They okay?" Robin asked, pulling Alice into her arms and kissing her shoulder softly.

"Perfect." Alice replied, turning to return the kiss. "How did we get so lucky with them?"

"No idea. But I'm glad." Robin smiled, then it spread into a wide grin. "You know we've got the best, cutest family in all the realms right?"

Alice snorted. "Duh!"


	20. Needless Protection

**Anonymous: When they started dating, Zelena told Robin she was happy for her, but that they should use protection, and Robin blushes and told her, "It's not that I can get her pregnant." Until later, she did get Alice pregnant.**

* * *

"Robin, we need to talk."

"So close," Robin mumbled, cringing from where she was just steps away from getting out the door. Instead, she rolled her eyes, turning around and sulking back into the living room where her mother was waiting for her.

It had been two days since her mother had discovered her intimate relationship with Alice, in the worst possible way - by walking in on them mid passion. Since then, Robin had done her best to avoid her at all times. She spent a night at Alice's, and another camping out in the woods. In fact she'd only come home to change her clothes before she head out again, thinking her mother would be meeting with aunt Regina today like she did every week.

It turned out she had skipped this week to lay in wait for her daughters return. Now there was no avoiding her.

"Mum, I'm kind of busy…" Robin said, hovering in the doorway.

Zelena sat in the armchair by the wall, legs crossed, hands on top of one another over her knee, and a seriously intense look on her face. She pressed her lips together and ignored Robin's comment, nodding her head to the sofa. "Take a seat."

"Mum…" Robin moaned, then sighed and walked over, taking a reluctant seat. Best get it over with, after all.

"Robin," Zelena began. "I am so happy you've found someone. But now that you have, we need to talk about safety."

"OH MY GOD!" Robin shouted, dramatically throwing herself to the side so she was lying down before sitting right back up again. "I knew it! I knew you were going to do this! I just freaking knew it!"

"Robin… We need to have this talk." Zelena said firmly.

"No! No we don't!" Robin snapped, standing and glaring at her mother. "I mean, what do you think is going to happen? Huh? We're going to get pregnant?! I think we're kind of missing some important bits to get that baby train rolling."

"There is more than just getting pregnant-" Zelena began.

"I don't have anything," Robin said sharply. "And neither does Alice. And I hate to break it you mum, but if I was going to catch anything. I'd have gotten it by now." She might have been embarrassed talking about her sex life so openly if she wasn't so damn infuriated. There was literally no need for this damn talk! It was just her mother, being supremely uncool as always, purposely trying to embarrass her daughter just because she could.

"Robin, you need to be careful." Zelena said, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward slightly.

"We don't have any STDs and I'm not going to get her pregnant!" Robin snapped, standing and charging from the room. "So just drop it already!"

 ***One Broken Dark Curse Later…***

Zelena cleared her throat.

Robin looked up, the grin still hanging on her lips. "What?" She blinked.

"Oh nothing." Zelena said lightly, cupping her hot drink between her hands and putting on an over the top fake innocence to her voice. "Just… Remembering some time before the curse when a certain someone was so sure they didn't need protection."

Robin's face flushed with a new wave of embarrassment. "What?" Alice blinked, looking up at her mother in law.

"Nothing!" Robin said quickly, glancing at Alice before turning and glaring back at her mother.

"I'm confused…" Alice said slowly.

"Don't worry, starfish. Just ignore them." Killian said, reaching over and giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You just stay well rested. Do you need anything? A drink? Another pillow? Are you cold? Hot? I'll get you a blanket and open the window."

Alice laughed. "I'm fine, papa! Promise."

"Don't worry." Robin said, turning back to where she was crouched on the floor by Alice's leg. "I'm taking good care of them both." She reached a hand, stroking the swollen bump on Alice's stomach, leaning forward and giving her a soft kiss through the thin material of her shirt.

Suddenly Zelena's voice mimicked a high pitched version of Robin's. "I'm not going to get her pregnant." She turned, walking over to where Regina was bouncing baby Desirae on her lap, making the infant squeal and giggle with a series of funny faces. "Here's an early lesson, sweet-pea. Never doubt Grandma Z. She's all knowing."

Regina snorted loudly but was pointedly ignored by her big sister, who stood back up and made her way into the kitchen for a top up on her drink.

"It's not like we're unprepared!" Robin called after her irritably.

"Don't care," Zelena mumbled. "Still got your wife pregnant." She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Missing some important bits my green ass."


	21. Robin's Curse-Free Thoughts

**Anonymous: Robin wakes up after their first night since the curse is broken. She saw Alice in her arms.( after last episode it's clear that Alice is the little spoon) she thinks about how much she loves Alice,her cursed life without her. How they always know each other. Basically romantic stuff in Robin's head while she watch and adore peacefully sleeping you write a CA Short from it?Watching the person you love sleep and thinking about it is just way too full of we chose love!**

* * *

"Tilly… Come on… We have to go." Robin said, reaching for her, but before she could touch her shoulder, a barrier appeared and threw her arm back, causing her to stumble. "Tilly!" She snapped fearfully.

"No." Tilly said coldly, not even looking at her. "I don't want to leave."

The woman to her right shook before vanishing in a flash of light, transforming into a tall looming tree that towered over their heads, joining the others and slowly trapping them inside like a cage. If Robin didn't get out now, she'd be trapped there, forever, left to starve to death with no light and no possible escape. But she couldn't leave, not without Tilly.

"Tilly!" Robin gasped desperately, reaching for her only to be blast back again. She hit the floor this time and looked up just as Tilly's body began to shake and glow. "NO!"

 **O*U*A*T**

Robin woke with a sharp gasp but was too petrified to move, leaving her frozen in place. Luckily this meant she didn't disturb Alice, lying in her arms.

The sight of her true love, safe and sound by her side, nearly made Robin burst into happy tears. Instead she kept quiet and just smiled a shaky smile, leaning forward, pressing her lips softly against the back of her neck where her hair had fallen to the side and exposed the soft skin underneath. She let her body relax against her pillow but found she could no longer sleep, the nightmare hanging over her, even knowing they were finally safe.

They were in the apartment above Roni's bar where Regina had been allowing Margot to stay during the curse. Alice had to move out of the place she had been sharing with her father now that there was magic and his curse had come back into affect. She had been heartbroken, crying over it for hours once they were safely out of the sight of their other friends and family. Robin had done what she could, but in the end, all she could do was hold her and make promises they both knew she couldn't keep.

Robin pressed her lips together and carefully did what she could to roll Alice over. Normally Alice was a light sleeper but today had been a long day and she barely let out an irritable moan before she was snuggling back down, curling up against Robin and pressed her face into her shoulder. Now she could see her face, Robin leaned over and took a deep breath of the shampoo still freshly rinsed from her love's hair. Everything about her, the way she fit so perfectly into her arm, how warm she was against her body, how sweet she smelled, was perfect. So much so that Robin felt guilty. Because the curse hadn't actually been so bad for Alice, at least not towards the end when she and her father had unknowingly found each other. They had been living together and almost happy. There was probably a part of Alice sad the curse had been broken while Robin was nothing but relieved for it.

During her long years in the curse, Margot had been searching for something. She hadn't realised at the time, but she was searching for Alice. She had travelled from one point of the country to the other, met new people, made new friends, and still she had been miserable. No place ever felt like home. She was uncomfortable in every bed she slept in. Every meal she had felt like cardboard in her mouth. Every person she grew close to was still miles away from her emotionally. It took her all two years of the curse before she realised that none of that could fill the void in her heart and then she had received a call from her mother, asking her to come home. It had seemed like a sign and Margot didn't have much else holding her back, so she returned. But even then it didn't feel right.

Things only started to feel right when she met Tilly. In that moment when she saved her life from the car, she felt a thrill. Margot had assumed it was the pleasure of saving a life, and being a momentary hero but really it had been seeing the thing she had lost. And then she had gone cold again, partly because her mother was keeping secrets and partly because she still felt hollow. That only changed after she had gone down to the Rollin' Bayou. Once again she met with Tilly and that cold feeling hanging over her vanished, and she continued to grow warmer as she and Tilly shared their date not long after.

Even when Tilly had run off before their date was over because of her bad day, Margot had been worried and upset, but no longer hollow. Almost like she knew that she and her would find their way back to each other and, sure enough, Tilly had shown up at the bar that very evening with a plate of candy in her hands and a cute smile on her face.

In fact things had been too intense. Margot had realised, after she put the bracelet on Tilly and felt Tilly's fingers brush against her, that she was in love with her. Which had been crazy at the time since they barely knew each other and Margot had forced herself to pull away, trying to slow things down. Of course, that didn't work, and her love for the other girl only became more assured, which was why she didn't question the crazy stuff she saw when Weaver and Rogers took her down to the cave where Tilly and the other women had been.

"Mmmm…" Alice moaned, face creasing slightly.

Robin tensed as she realised she'd been tightening her hold, squeezing Alice close against her. Her mind flashed back to the nightmare. Even in her cursed state, she had been terrified of losing Tilly in that moment in the cave, and even now they were safe, that fear was lingering with her.

There were no words for when they were reunited. Despite Alice's reassurance before the curse was cast, Robin had feared she would never see her again, so when she was proven wrong, when the curse was broken and she saw her love standing a few steps in front of her… Robin felt like she could have fainted from the intense pressure of the happiness weighing down on her. Instead she had taken off her glasses, showing Alice that she was back. She wasn't Margot any more, she was Robin again. And hearing her name come from Alice's lips… The memory left Robin almost as breathless as she had been at the time.

Now, staring down at her sleeping face, Robin smiled and reaching a hand to stroke the side of her face. She would never doubt Alice again. She would never doubt that they would always know each other, that they would always be together. Their love was so strong, nothing would ever be able to keep them apart. Robin could die tomorrow, and she would linger by Alice's side as a ghost until the time when her love finally joined her again.

"How did I get so lucky?" Robin whispered, still gazing at Alice's sleeping face and stroking a strand of her blonde hair between her thumb and finger.

That was the question though, wasn't it? Robin had never before loved someone in the way she loved Alice. She'd never thought it possible. She saw the way Mary-Margaret and David always looked at each other and she had wondered how anyone could possibly feel as strongly as they did. After a while, and many bad relationships that barely lasted long enough to even be called a relationship, Robin had accepted she would never find the Snow White to her Prince Charming. She had assumed her life would be that of a loner. Someone who did her own thing and was happy that way, like the fairies or Granny. None of them needed anyone in their lives, and Robin had thought she was the same.

Then she met Alice. Even before she had fallen head over heels in love with her, Robin had been strongly impressed by the other girl. She'd heard so much about her before finding her that day. All the stories, all the tales, all the memories shared about the girl who had survived so much isolation and had still come out as cheerful and loving as ever. If the roles were reversed, Robin felt she was more likely to grow up a villain than a pure hearted soul like Alice was.

"I love you…" Robin whispered.

Alice's lips pulled into a sleepy smile like she could hear her and Robin's heart fluttered in her chest. She grinned and leaned over, kissing her softly.

In that moment, she could see their future in Alice's sleeping face. She could see them on their wedding night, exhausted and excited at the same time. She could see them on their honeymoon, travelling somewhere the sun always shone and lying on the hot sand of the open beach. She could see them returning to a home of their own. She could see them having children, and raising them with as much love as they had for each other. She could even see them growing old, and knew that no matter how many wrinkles they earned or grey hairs they grew, Robin would still look at Alice's sleeping face with the same complete and utter adoration as she did now.

And with all those thoughts of the future in mind, Robin rest her face against Alice's and shut her eyes, returning to sleep. No more nightmares this time. Only wonderful memories and trust what was yet to come, to take their place.


	22. Taking His Place Part 1

**Anonymous: For Hook to be cured of the poisoned heart, someone has to willing take his place, someone that has a deep connection with Alice too. Robin knows that what she is about to do will heart the woman she loves, but she also knows that it hurts Alice much more not being able to be with her Papa. So before Robin takes Hook place, she wants one last time with her love.**

 _My first real angst fic for these two. Beware of incredible sadness before entering!_

* * *

Back in her tower, when she read biology books her father had dropped off to help her understand the changes to her body, Alice had assumed there was just one way to have sex. It wasn't until she had met Robin and they had passed the point of being intimate in their relationship that she discovered nothing about a true romance was ever so simple. And she didn't mean positions or various sensitivity spots. But a general feel, an aura even, of how they did it.

For example, back in the Enchanted Forest, there were the excited and almost hyperactive times when Robin's adrenaline was still running high from an adventure just beforehand, where they would be spinning around the room, making enough noise to disturb neighbouring villages. Or there was the desperate times when they had been separated for a long period of times and were glued together upon being reunited. Or then there were the times when they were both almost tired but needy, and the best way Alice could describe their love making then was that it was almost lazy, but still very much enjoyable.

Since they had been together for such a long time now, Alice had an idea about each and every one of the moods that defined their tumbles between the sheets. Because of this, she recognised when there was a sudden new mood between them. One she had not experienced with Robin - with anyone - before.

Because it was new, Alice couldn't define it. It was slow. It was careful and soft, like Robin was afraid if she touched her too roughly then she might break. It was tender and left goose bumps in the wake of her each moment of contact and somehow Alice was more breathless from that than any other time when they were rolling onto the floor. Robin's lips ghost across her skin, pausing only to leave the slightest purple coloured mark along her neck and shoulders - the closest she came to being rough - and she barely let Alice do anything. Every time Alice reached for her, she took her hands - still being gentle - and held her back, taking over until Alice gave up trying, submitting to her, and letting Robin have completely control.

By the time Robin was done with her, Alice's limbs felt so weak, she was sure she'd be bedridden for weeks before she would find the strength to stand again. She was breathless, panting even as Robin lay by her side and pulled her into her arms, and despite barely moving, Alice was covered in a shiny sheen of sweat, from amongst the strands of her hair all the way down to the spaces between her toes.

"Oh wow," Alice mumbled, even her lips felt weak and her words were a fraction away from slurring. She twisted to face Robin, smiling at her. "That was… Amazing."

Robin smiled at her. "It was." She whispered.

Alice hesitated. "For you too? Seems like you didn't really get much out of all of that."

"Any time I spend with you is amazing," Robin whispered softly, gazing at her intensely.

"Well, sure, but orgasms are are like amazing times seven!" Alice said lightly, trying to make Robin laugh. She wasn't sure why, but there was something that bothered Alice about the way she just kept smiling at her like that. It was like the mood of the sex, which Alice still was unable to name.

But instead of laughing, Robin just kept smiling, looking almost strained and with a wetness building in her eyes, like she was going to start crying. Without thinking, Alice reached up and cupped her cheek, running her thumb over the spot under her eye. It was still dry, for now.

"Robin, what's going on? Talk to me." Alice begged.

"I… I was just thinking… About how I wish I could help you… And your dad." Robin said slowly.

"Oh…" Alice felt her own smile fall and she looked down towards their feet.

"Alice." Robin said, pulling her even close so their bodies were pressed tightly together. "If there was a way for you to be together, but it had a price. Would you pay it?"

"Of course," Alice said without thought. "I'd pay any price just so papa and I could be together again."

"He means the world to you," Robin said. It wasn't a question but Alice answered it anyway.

"The world and more." Alice said, then leaned over and buried her face into Robin's neck. "Can we stop talking about this?" She asked quietly. "I just want tonight to be a wonderful night just about us."

With her face buried, Alice didn't see the heartbroken expression break out on Robin's face. "My thoughts exactly." She said, her voice given nothing away even as she clung to Alice… For the last time.

The next morning, Alice slept soundly as Robin dressed. She was completely unaware of the other girl as she slipped out a small brown envelope from her coat and placed it on the dressing table in front of the mirror. It looked almost just like the one Alice had given her all those years before the curse was cast, right down to the words written on the front, although this one was written in her own handwriting. And unlike Alice's letter, it held a much more tragic tale hidden on the inside.

Just before Robin left, she paused and walked over, risking giving Alice a careful kiss on her lips… One last time. Then, she tearfully stood up and took a step back, fighting the urge to sob for fear of waking her love up early and getting caught. With every step she took, she felt like her heart was breaking off, one piece at a time. In fact she almost changed her mind. Almost dropped her bow and dived back under the sheets, kissing and hugging Alice and never letting her go.

Instead she reminded herself of why she was doing this, and hurried as quietly as she could from the room and out of the building. By the time she got outside the sobs had broken free and they wracked her body until she was stumbling down the streets, nearly falling into the road, but she still didn't stop or slow down. Instead she sped up. She put as much space between her and her love as she could, running blindly through the tears and refusing to look back, terrified of what would happen if she did. A few people saw her, but no one had time to stop her, and it wasn't long before she was leaving the Heights behind… Maybe forever.

 **O*U*A*T**

 _Dear my one true love._  
 _I'm sorry. I know you may hate me but just know, I do this for you._  
 _Aunt Regina found a way to transfer your fathers curse. She doesn't know I've used it. Please don't be mad at her. She found it by accident and I never told anyone what I was going to do._  
 _Please understand. I love you. And it's because I love you I did this. You and your father have been apart for too long. And now you can be together. As a family. Like you always should have been._  
 _This isn't goodbye. Not forever. I will not stop until I find a cure. I will not rest until I get rid of this curse so we can be together, but for now, be happy. Please do that for me. Be happy with your father and always smile, because you have no idea how much your smile lights up the world for everyone else._  
 _I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you with all my heart and the hearts of everyone else in the world. I love you to the end of the world, back, and even further. I love you past the stars, past the sun, past the clouds of Olympus themselves. I love you and I hope you don't hate me. But even if you do, I still love you._  
 _We will see each other again. We will be together. But for now… Be happy._  
 _My heart, my soul and my love are all forever yours._  
 _Nobin._


	23. An Old Crush

**Anonymous: Hey, can you do a short about little Robin who has crush on Snow and Alice and Robin saw them in SB, pleaseee? (You really did spoiled us. Probably you had million other prompts in your box but you are too damn talented and we love our girls. Soooo sorry but we aren't gonna stop.**

 _Two things!_

 _1\. This comes from a headcanon that an Anon and I came up with, being that Robin had a massive crush on Snow White when she was younger and falling in love with the princesses and such around Storybrooke._

 _2\. I hate the ending, and not just because it was badly written and not just because I feel like the Season 7 cast were completely screwed over in favour of fanservice for the original cast, but also because I still don't fully understand it, even now! Like, the time travel part makes no sense and just creates an endless list of plot holes!_  
 _So therefore, let me explain the setting of this short!:_

 _Past and present Regina and Emma are all working on a towns worth of memory potion to erase the memory of everyone so as not to disrupt the future, then they will use another spell to return everyone to the present. Until then, however, everyone is free to roam around and interact with one another. Also - In the final episode, Robin was 5 but for the sake of the story, she's gonna be 11._

 _Now, the short begins:_

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Alice looked up before she realised she was squeezing into Robin's arm tighter than she had meant to. She blushed, loosening her grip and forcing herself to smile shakily. "Fine."

Robin smiled at her, leaning over and kissing her cheek softly. "You don't need to be nervous."

"I'm not." Alice lied.

"Okay… But you don't need to be." Robin grinned. "Everyone is going to love you."

Alice pulled Robin to a sudden stop, pulling a face at her. "I heard someone call me 'Fake Alice'." She admitted. "And they keep calling papa, Fhook. Like, Fake Hook."

Robin tensed, but tried not to show it, making a mental note to find out who was saying these things later so she could deal with them personally. Instead, she reached over and pulled Alice into a hug, kissing her gently before resting their foreheads together. "Those people are idiots. Just ignore them." She pulled away slightly. "But. If you really don't want to, then just say the words 'Candy Apple' and I'll give us an excuse to leave. We can spend the rest of the weekend in our room at Granny's, if you like."

Alice nodded, then sighed. "You really think it's gonna take them a weekend to finish the potion?"

"At least," Robin said firmly, pausing as they wandered past the school just as the bell rang out. "Come on. Let me introduce you to my old school teacher!"

Alice let herself be dragged along by Robin, through the playground full of kids already busy with their games, barely even noticing the two strange woman wandering through towards the building. Inside, Robin made her way down to where she knew Mrs Nolan's classroom was waiting for them, and stepped through the door without hesitation…

Only to stop short when she saw a familiar eleven year old face already there.

Robin's past self didn't know about her future self wandering around town. Like most people, she was kept in dark in order to make it easier for the memory potion to come into affect, but Robin naturally recognised herself and each time she saw her wandering passed, she was hit with the same shock that left her speechless and more than a little uneasy. Despite how cute she was, it really wasn't natural seeing your younger self walking around so casually like she did.

Alice and Robin stopped just in the doorway and watched Mrs Nolan smile and wave at them to just hold on for one second before turning back to Little Robin. The younger girl's short hair was pulled back with pink bow and she wore the uniform in a much cuter and more innocent way than she would in a few more years time.

"How can I help you, Robin?" Mrs Nolan said, smiling down at the younger girl.

Alice, having already recognised Little Robin from earlier encounters when they had seen her, immediately grinned at the sight. She loved seeing her girlfriend when she was a child. She loved everything about Robin and truly enjoyed seeing every side of her, of learning everything she could about the person she used to be back before they met.

Robin, however, felt a sudden wave of dread as she realised what they were about to witness. "Let's come back later." She said quickly, trying to pull Alice from the room.

Unfortunately, Alice could be very strong when she wanted to be and easily pulled Robin to a stop, standing her ground by the wall and smiling cheerfully as Little Robin retrieved something from her backpack.

"I got you these," Little Robin said, ignoring the two new women and handing Mrs Nolan a bouquet of yellow daffodils. "I picked them myself."

"Oh. They are beautiful!" Mrs Nolan beamed, taking the flowers from her. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Little Robin beamed up at her, swaying on her feet slightly. "You're welcome, Mrs Nolan." She said in a voice that was almost sing-song like.

Alice paused, frowning slightly before realisation flashed in her expression and she turned to Robin, wide eyed with her spreading grin. Even Alice, who grew up in a tower, saw the obviousness to Little Robin's attraction, directed at the woman in front of her. The younger girl was practically drooling over her teacher.

"Why don't you go enjoy your break," Mrs Nolan said, placing a hand on her back and pushing her gently to the door. "I need to talk with these two women quickly."

"Yes, Mrs Nolan." Little Robin said, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she walked through the door. She paused, only for a moment to glance up at the two women, eyes lingering before Mrs Nolan cleared her throat and the younger girl skipped the rest of the way outside.

After she was gone, Robin awkwardly bit her lip, glancing at where Alice was still grinning at her in open amusement. But before either of them could say anything to one another, Snow spoke first.

"Glad to see you got over that crush," Snow noted, crossing her arms and looking from Robin to Alice and their still joined arms.

Robin turned to gawp at her. "You knew?!"

"Robin, of course I knew." She said, rolling her eyes as she turned and placed the flowers on her desk. "This is the third bouquet you've given me this week."

"But… You never said anything." Robin stuttered.

"Well, of course not. I mean, what could I say? I didn't want to hurt your feelings. And it was just a harmless crush anyway." Snow shrugged. "No body is getting hurt. Beside's, it's cute."

"Yeah, it is." Alice agreed, still grinning.

Wanting very much to change the subject, Robin pulled Alice forward. "Mrs Nolan, meet Alice. Alice, this is my old teacher, Mrs Nolan. Otherwise known as Snow White."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alice." Snow said softly, taking her hand and shaking it. "Henry has already been by and told me so much about you. I'm so glad you and your father have been reunited."

"Yeah," Alice nodded, smiling even as she pressed her lips together. "Me too."

After a short talk with Snow, the girls left her to have a break of her own and made their way back on the streets. Robin refused to meet Alice's eye, glancing around and searching for someone else she could introduce Alice to in order to keep her love distracted from bringing up what they both knew she wanted to talk about.

Unfortunately she didn't find anyone in time.

"You were cute," Alice noted finally, nudging her.

"Yeah, well, I was a kid." Robin said, trying to brush it off casually.

"And you had a crush," Alice continued cheekily. "On your teacher. Could you be more of a cliche?"

"Oh please let's drop it. I was an idiot," Robin moaned.

"You were. Still are, to be fair." She nudged her hip against her. "But it's adorable."

"No, it's not. It's embarrassing. Especially knowing Mrs Nolan knew all along. I made such a fool out of myself over her." Robin groaned.

"You weren't that bad." Alice shrugged.

"That was just the start, love. You didn't see the worst of it. I was crazy in love with her at one point. On Valentine's Day, I even sent her an anonymous box of chocolates that she mistook as a gift from her husband." Robin said, blushing slightly as she remembered how furious her twelve year old self had been that David was getting credit for her gift.

"You know, I'm suddenly enjoying this walk through Storybrooke after all!" Alice said brightly.

"Yeah, I'm sure you are. Now can we move on? It is too embarrassing. Come on. I'll introduce you to my old babysitter." Robin said.

"Oh, we both know I'm not dropping this any time soon." Alice beamed. "Now, just what kind of chocolate did you send Mrs Nolan? And how come I've never been treated like that before?"

"They didn't have them in the Enchanted Forest," Robin said defensively. "And besides. I brought you a marmalade sandwich instead!"

Alice giggled, her earlier nerves completely forgotten now. She and Robin made their way down towards where a girl named Grace used to babysitter Robin during her toddler years. It was a nice surprise to meet the alternative version of the Mad Hatter though he was nothing like the one Alice knew, although nothing Robin did would stop Alice constantly reminding her of that moment in the classroom, even later at night when it was just the two of them.

And all the while the girls explored Storybrooke together, neither of them knew that Little Robin would remember the pretty blonde with blue eyes who had visited her classroom that day. Right up until the time when her mother gave her a special drink that took the memory away from her, until many years later when she relived the moment for herself.


	24. Taking His Place Part 2

**Anonymous: Oh please continue your last short. Maybe showing Alice's reaction and them seeing each other for the first time after Robin took the curse.**

* * *

That morning started out as any other. Killian woke up early, took a luke warm morning shower in a tight and uncomfortable bathroom, brushed his teeth over a cramped sink, skipped breakfast because he could never eat in the morning - especially with a layer of minty toothpaste still coating his gums - and dressed to head out. He would start by going down to Roni's bar before the start of his shift back at the station. He normally had a few hours to kill and he liked spending it with the others and Roni's had long since become the unofficial hangout for all of them.

However this morning might have started out normal, but it certainly didn't continue that way. In fact, it stopped being normal when he stepped outside the apartment buildings and turned to find Alice standing not far away from him.

"Alice?!" Killian blinked, taking an automatic step away from her, only to stop short. Something wasn't right. The tingling in his chest that he normally felt whenever Alice drew near wasn't happening. In fact there was no feeling or reaction from her presence at all… And then he noticed the expression on her face. "Alice?" He said, his voice softer now.

Alice was taking ragged breaths through her open mouth. She stood in nothing but a silk dressing gown that was half falling off her shoulders, her blonde hair a tangled mess and her eyes red and flooded with tears that streamed down her cheeks as fast as the snot from her nose. Her bare feet were dirty, and one of her knees was bleeding from where she must have tripped with goose bumps over every inch of her cold skin, and there was some water splashed up the bottom half of her gown, causing her to shiver on the spot. And on top of that, she was pale, white as a sheet of paper and her knees shook worse than the rest of her, almost like she was going to collapse to the ground at any second.

"Alice…" Killian repeated slowly.

"Papa." Alice said, breaking into sobs and running forward. He didn't have a chance to stop her before she had thrown herself at him, crying into his shoulder and clinging onto him tightly. For a single second he felt a rush of surprised joy - the curse, it wasn't working for whatever reason - but that joy was immediately crushed and smothered by the feel of his daughters shaking sobs against him. Something was wrong. Something was very, VERY wrong.

"Alice? Talk to me! What's wrong? What's happened?" Killian said, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close because it was all he could do.

"She's… She's… Ro… Bin's… GONE!" Alice sobbed, legs giving out until the only thing holding her up now, was her father.

In the end, Killian forgot about going to Roni's and to work. Instead he picked his daughter up into his arms for the first time since she was ten, turning around and carrying her back inside his apartment. It was many hours later before he got the full story from her, and even more hours before he was finally able to get through to Regina at the bar, screaming at her over the phone until she showed up on his doorstep. But no matter how many explanations she gave or attempts to get in contact with her niece for them, it didn't change anything.

His daughters true love had gone, sacrificing her own happiness for his.

And he hated her for it.

Three Years Later…

"So, can I buy you a drink?" The pretty girl asked, leaning too close for comfort.

Alice hated pushy girls. Not just because they made her uncomfortable, but because there was something so much cuter about shy smiles and hesitant touches that had the opportunity to grow into something more confident. So even if Alice still wasn't weighed down heavily with heart break, it still would have been easy for her to smile and turn this girls advances down with barely a glance in her direction.

"No thank you." Alice said, purposely turning away from her.

"Oh come on," the pretty girl insisted, moving even closer. "Just one drink."

"I said no!" Alice snapped sharply. Before the girl could react, she was grabbing her coat and jumping to her feet. Alice rushed from the bar, not bothering to pause and say goodbye to Regina even when she passed her. Despite Regina explaining everything to her - how she accidentally found the transfer spell and had no idea Robin was planning to use it - Alice knew she would never be able to forgive her. Whether she meant to or not, it was her fault Robin was no longer in her life.

Outside in the cold evening air, Alice pulled on her coat and tightened it around her. She turned and started back in the direction of her fathers apartment- no. Of their apartment. Since that day they discovered they were curse free, Alice had moved straight back home with her papa, living the life they always should have…

And yet it was hollow. Because no matter how happy she was with her papa… It came at the sacrifice of her true love.

If someone had given Alice the choice, to pick one of the people she loved to be cursed from being with her, she would have probably broken down on the spot. There was no way for her to decide which person to be forever separated from. But Robin hadn't even given her a chance to make that choice. She had decided for her and part of Alice wanted to hate her for it… But of course she couldn't. Even after all these years, she still loved Robin with every fraction of her being and every moment, every breath without her by her side… It was like dying every second of the day. Like she was sick with something killing her in a way that was slow and painful, yet there was no actual literal end in sight.

Taking a breath to calm her nerves - it wasn't unheard of for Alice to suffer a minor panic attack when she thought too much about all she had lost, just like all those years ago when her father had first been cursed - Alice wrapped her arms around her torso. She began hugging herself tightly. It wasn't the same as when Robin held her, but it was all she would get until she returned home. Then she could hug her papa and listen to him tell her that everything would be okay. That things would get better. That he believed she would have a happy ending.

Nice words, but that's all they really were. Just words.

And words never gave anyone a happy ending.

"Hey, Tower Girl."

Until now.


	25. Horse Ride

**Anonymous: Could they have used two horses? Of course, they could. But Alice won't pass the chance to have her arms around Robin's waist while they ride.**

* * *

"Here ya go, petals." Kahlan said, guiding two beautiful horses towards them. "You can uses these two for the day. It's five silver in total until sunset. After that, it's a silver every hour you're gone." She paused. "We usually would have ya leave something valuable behind, either something worth as much as the horse or information on how to track ya down, so we know you'll come back but Zelena's been a good friend these couple years so I'm gonna trust you girls, alright?"

"Thanks, Kahlan." Robin grinned, reaching up and accepting the reins on the white horse with the long blonde mane and tail. "I promise, we'll be back by this evening."

"I trust ya," Kahlan repeated, nodding her head at her before turning and holding out the reins of the second horse to Alice.

Only when Alice moved forward to take them, the horse whined loudly and pulled away suddenly, kicking his feet unhappily against the ground and huffing slightly. It shocked everyone and took Kahlan a moment to get him back under control long enough to talk.

"Huh… Wouldn't happen to have any pomb weeds in your pocket now, would ya, petal?" Kahlan asked her. "Philippe's like a blood hound when it comes to the stuff. Can smell it a mile off and sure as hell can't stand it."

"Uh. No." Alice said slowly, glancing between the horses.

"Hmm… Just having a funny day then, are you?" Kahlan said, rolling her eyes at the horse. "Silly bugger." She turned back to the girls. "Sorry, petals. These horses are more like people than you'd know. Once they get into a mood, there's no saying when they'll get out of it, specially Philippe here. And we don't have any other rides available. Nice day like this, they've all been rented or borrowed now."

Alice glanced at Robin. "Does he have a problem with me?" She asked, wandering over.

"Maximus? Oh no. He's the biggest sweetheart of the lot." Kahlan nodded, and sure enough when Alice wandered over, the tall horse leaned over and nudged at her hand lightly. "The only time you'll see his bad side is when he's defending you. Swear. That horse is more knight than most of the guards I've seen Queen Tiana hire."

Alice looked at Robin, smiling. "Why don't we share Maximus then?"

Robin paused, glancing at Kahlan who shrugged. "Be cheaper on your wallet, just hiring one horse for the day."

With that decided, Robin climbed atop of Maximus first before reaching down and helping Alice up behind her. Then, with a final wave to Kahlan and Philippe, the two girls started down the open field and along towards the mountain in the distance.

Kahlan had been right. It was a perfect day. The sun was shining, there were no clouds overhead, there was just enough wind to keep them from getting too hot and there was nothing else to do but enjoy each others company. Kahlan had been a friend of Zelena's for almost two years now and so when Alice had asked how Robin wanted to spend the day, Kahlan's horses has immediately come to mind for the young archer. They were expensive, but fair and their home was in the perfect area that, no matter which direction you rode in, you always ended somewhere beautiful.

With Robin taking the lead, she started to where she knew there was a fantastic view of a nearby neighbouring kingdom. They would set up there, enjoying the sights along the way, and have a picnic together that Alice had already packed that morning for them. Robin had brought a few things from home, including some apples, but she knew from experience that Alice went above and beyond when it came to making sandwiches for long journeys and they were sure to have plenty left over no matter how long they spent together.

While Robin was focused on guiding their steed, Alice kept one arm looped around her chest while the other dug into her pockets. She subtly pulled out the pomb weeds from her pockets that she had collected earlier. Everyone called them weeds because they were thin and grey in colour, but they were more like roots without a flower. They grew underground and didn't provide any special use so were mostly ignored by healers and witches, but their chewy texture was good when you wanted to do something with your jaw. Alice enjoyed biting on them between meals or whenever she was feeling particularly anxious and had gotten into the habit of carrying some around with her at all times just in case.

Before Robin could see her, Alice tossed the pomb weeds to the ground, letting them fade in seconds as the horse galloped on without pause. As soon as all her pockets were empty, Alice reached over and wrapped her arms tightly around Robin's waist, nuzzling into the side of her neck slightly and smiling at the warm tickle of her long hair blowing in the wind. She smiled slightly and half shut her eyes.

Yeah. Alice could just tell, today was going to be a good day.


	26. Taking His Place Part 3

**iescapedmayday: Don't you dare end that 'Taking his place' cursed hearts story there! We need a part 3!**

* * *

"Robin…" Alice whispered, turning around to find her love standing just a few long steps away from her in the middle of the sidewalk. "Is it… Really you?" She croaked.

"It's me." Robin smiled.

She looked so different. And not just because she was in a new dark green top and a dark pair of jeans with brown boots that all looked like they had seen better days in their short life. And not just because her hair had been cut shorter than ever before, so it barely passed her chin. But because she looked older. Her face was heavy, there were bags under her eyes and her bottom lip was split, and there was a faint ragged scar that stretched down over her right temple.

But it was still her.

"Robin…" Alice repeated, tears filling and flooding her eyes before she even realised what was happening and she took an automatic step forward, only to stop short. "Are you…"

"Yeah. I'm really here." Robin smiled, half shrugging at her.

"No!" Alice snapped, suddenly a burst of anger flaring inside, making her grit her teeth in frustration and resist the urge to punch something. "Are you cursed?!" She shouted.

Robin paused, the smile dropping from her face at the sight of Alice's anger. "No…" She whispered quietly. "Not any more… I found a cure."

"You did? But how?" Alice croaked, some of her anger fading.

"It's a long story, beautiful." Robin said, walking towards her, hands out. "But it's true. I'm cured. We're cured. It's okay-"

As soon as she was within arms reach, Alice reached up and slapped her with a not so surprising strength. Robin stumbled to the side and instantly reached up, clutching the side of her face and looking at her love wide eyed and hurt. And not from the physical sting of the slap, but something much deeper that she knew would hurt for much longer.

Then, once more before she could say or do anything else, Alice threw herself at her, wrapping Robin in her arms and bursting into harsh tears. She sobbed into her shoulder and shook in her arms, legs giving out like they had when she left, pulling Robin down to the ground with her so they were both knelt in the middle of the street. Robin didn't hesitate after this. She wrapped her arms around Alice, hugging her close and kissing the side of her head that she could reach with her pressed so tightly against her. She began rocking her gently, rubbing her back and pressing more kisses to her shoulder and neck constantly one after another.

Robin had also begun to cry now, sobbing in relief even while her cheek was turning a sensitive pink from the slap. She shut her eyes, enjoying the warmth of Alice pressed against her and taking shaky breathes in an attempt to calm down. She wanted to be as serene and in control as possible. She wanted to be strong. For Alice. All for Alice. Because everything she had ever done was always for Alice.

"You!… Left!… Me!" Alice sobbed when she finally managed to find her words.

"I'm sorry." Robin croaked, her throat tightening. "I had to, I-"

"NO!" Alice shrieked, thumping Robin's back with her fist but she suddenly felt so weak it was barely more than a light tap. "You didn't have to! You ch-ch-chose to! You. You-You left me!" She broke down again.

"I know. I'm so sorry." Robin whispered, squeezing until she was sure she was going to leave bruises on them both. "I'm sorry, Alice… But I'm back. I'm back now and I promise… I'll never leave you again…"

They felt in the streets for a long time before either of them found the strength to stand again, and still Alice couldn't stop crying. In fact she sobbed long into the night, clinging to Robin the whole time. He emotions - her angry and her happiness blending together - and it wouldn't be until morning before she would think straight.

So for now… She just cried in Robin's arms. Clinging to her the whole time, so she knew Robin would keep her promise… So she was assured Robin would never leave her, ever again.


	27. Bike Ride

**Anonymous: Robin begs Henry to lend her his bike so she can impress Alice.**

* * *

"Seriously?" Robin snorted, rolling her eyes. "A bike?"

"Yes, seriously," Zelena said, swatting her daughters arm lightly before walking around to lean against the side by the sink. "Don't underestimate the simple things in life, sweetheart." Zelena paused, looking up and smiling. "Riding on those handlebars had been the simplest yet sweetest thing anyone ever did with me." She paused, a momentary sad look disappearing as quickly as it appeared and she glanced to Robin, giving her a wink. "Until I met Chad, of course."

She began to go on about some of the sweetest things Chad had done for her since they began seeing one another but Robin had stopped listening. She knew these stories off by heart anyway, which was why she was fascinated to hear about her mothers rarely talked about first love; Hades, Lord Of The Underworld.

She knew the basics of the story. Hades had been in love with Zelena, she had helped restart his heart only for him to betray Aunt Regina and the others and try to take over Storybrooke. He killed Robin's father and her mother, upon realising that she alone would never be good enough for him, killed Hades in return.

But today was the first day her mother was willing to go into detail, such as their first time meeting in Oz when Hades apparently managed to woo her simply by riding a bicycle. Which was just weird if you asked Robin… But then again, people from the magical lands probably found the simple stuff from here to be fascinating…

"I've gotta go." Robin said, jumping up and heading for the door in the middle of Zelena's sentence. "Nice talking mum, see you later!"

"Wait! Your…" Zelena trailed off as Robin vanished out the door. "Tea." She finished before sighing and rolling her eyes, collecting the still full beverage and helping herself to it while she watched Robin dash past the window and down the street.

Where on Earth is she running off to all of a sudden? Zelena mused.

 **O*U*A*T**

Robin knocked loudly on the front door several times and waited impatiently before her cousin answered. Then, before he could even offer her a greeting, Robin was jumping in: "Can I borrow your bike?"

Henry hesitated, then shook his head. "Uh, good morning to you too, Robin." He said, looking at her with a bemused expression on his face.

"Morning. Can I borrow your bike?" Robin repeated quickly.

Henry stared at her, a slight frown pulling on his eyebrows. "What's going on?"

"I want to borrow a bike." Robin said irritably.

"Why?"

"To ride it! What else?! Now can I?" Robin said, slightly snappish at this point.

"Why do you want to ride my bike? I mean, don't you have your own?" Henry blinked.

"You know me, I was always more of a roller-blades kind of girl." Robin shrugged, waving his question off. "But now I feel in the mood to go for a bike ride. So can I borrow yours or not?"

After a moment, Henry shrugged. "No." He paused, seeing her the hurt in her eyes before he smirked. "Unless you tell me the real reason why you want it so badly."

Robin's expression quickly shifted from hurt back to irritated. "I want to show it to Alice, okay? Neither the Enchanted Forest nor Hyperion Heights had very many sitting around and I was thinking it might be nice for her to get a chance to see one up close. Maybe even give it a try herself or something if she wants."

"Oh, so you want to impress Alice." Henry grinned.

"Don't be a dick!" Robin snapped sharply. "Just lend me the damn bike already!"

"Ask nicely." Henry commanded.

"What?"

"Ask. Nicely." Henry repeated.

Robin took a deep shaking breath and pressed her lips together. She scowled up at him before swallowing back a string of insults that came to mind and instead forced herself to speak calmly. "Henry. Dear cousin. May I please borrow your bike for the evening." She paused. "Please?"

Henry didn't respond at first, staring down at her like he was really thinking it over with a playful smirk still stretching on his lips. He took so long to answer that Robin was a fraction away from lashing out at him when he finally let out an over dramatic sigh, like he was really hurting by doing this, and nodded his head. "Yeah. I suppose I could let you borrow it for today."

"Good! Now give it." Robin said, holding out her hands.

Henry disappeared back into the house, collecting his bike from where they kept it with Jacinda and Lucy's in the garage extension behind the house. He took his sweet time finally strolling it through the hallway towards her and even longer to actually hand it over. Even then, when Robin grabbed the handlebars, he kept a hold on the seat to prevent Robin from running off too quickly. "What do you say?" He asked.

Through grit teeth, Robin forced herself to smile. "Thank you." She said tightly. Then, when Henry had released the bike and she turned away, she paused just long enough to lash her arm out. Her elbow hit him hard in the stomach before she broke into a light jog and dragging the bike along beside her and leaving Henry to double over himself.

"Henry? You okay?" Jacinda called, running from the living room to her wheezing husband.

"Totally… Worth it…" Henry gasped, grinning through the pain.

Robin really had her fathers brute strength, that was for sure.

 **O*U*A*T**

For the fifth time, Robin and Alice fell over, and unlike how her mother had described it, there was nothing cute about the growing bruises along Robin's ribs and arm from where she was constantly hitting the ground. She groaned, rolling onto her back and wincing at where her leg was caught between the ground and the bike, sitting up and a fraction away from swearing at the stupid thing… Only to stop short when she heard Alice giggling by her side.

Robin glanced down and felt herself smile, like she always did whenever she looked at her love. Alice was half on her back, with her legs twisted to the side, looking up at her and grinning, her blonde hair fanned out amongst the grass behind her and a cheeky spark in her bright blue eyes.

"We both suck at this." She laughed.

Robin shrugged. "Yeah… I thought it'd be easier… I mean I see Henry riding around all the time." She sighed, brushing some clinging leaves from her shoulder. "Maybe I'll bring my roller-blades next time. Those, I can handle."

"Tilly has memories of skateboarding." Alice offered lightly. "But… I dunno how good Alice would be."

"Well maybe I could use my skates to push you around on a board." Robin offered lightly, then paused. "You just gonna lie there?"

"For now." Alice nodded. "But not for long." She grimaced. "There's a stick digging into my spine."

Laughing, Robin slipped her leg free and climbed back onto her feet, reaching down and dragging the bike off of the ground and standing by it's side. She reached down, helping Alice back up before reaching around and brushing the dirt clinging to the other girls jacket and skirt for her.

"So…" Alice said excitedly. "Shall we try again?"

Robin didn't really want to spend another hour making a fool of herself. But she also didn't hesitate to climb back onto the bike as soon as she saw the smile Alice flashed her, watching the older girl taking her place on the handlebars in front of her and balancing carefully.

"Here goes attempt number six thousand and five," Robin sighed, kicking off and quickly picking up speed in order to stay balanced.

They managed for longer this time. Reaching ten whole minutes and riding in the open clearing they had met up in before they bumped into a half hidden stone amongst the weeds and Robin lost her balance, tipping over and hitting the ground hard. The speed had helped her keep balance, but it also meant that when they fell over, they both skidded along the dirt slightly, leaving red and brown streaks over their sleeves and sides.

On the way down, Robin knocked her head against the ground and trapped her hand under her side, while Alice scratched her elbow badly enough to draw a thin line of blood. But despite their injuries, they barely noticed the pain once they saw the bemused looks on one another faces and broke into a fresh burst of giggles and joyful laughter.


	28. First Cursed Kiss

**Anonymous: Tilly and Margot first kiss! (Wait, they have been kissed other people before. Sure it must feel different when it's someone you really like but this feeling they have... this is not the first kiss felt like. This connection... it's something either of them understand yet. But still it's not something neither of them ever want to stop. If it's always feel like this, they sure can spend their rest of their lifes kissing each ,that idea is not that new either!) a CA short about it,pls**

* * *

Margot had been building the courage to give Tilly a kiss since date number three. Date number one was simply getting to know one another, and it hadn't ended great - even if it had been fixed later on - so Margot used date number two to get comfortable with each other. Date number three continued to go well and so Margot had planned to kiss her goodbye, only to chicken out at the last minute. Date number four had been interrupted by Roni calling Margot for an emergency cover on a late shift and date number five had ended with Tilly getting into one of her bad days and asking if Margot minded if she cut it short. Margot had walked her home but it felt wrong kissing her while she was still suffering so she let it go.

So now Margot was aiming for date number six. And Margot was determined to get her kiss this time.

When Tilly swung around to pick her up from her shift at Roni's, Margot paused to order two drinks for them before they left, hoping that the alcohol would settle some of her nerves and make it easier for later. She had downed her glass in seconds and ignored the puzzled look on Tilly's face, smiling as she watched and waiting for the other girl to take her time finishing her own drink.

After that they stood and left the bar, making their way down the streets side by side. It was Tilly's turn to plan this date and so Margot followed her willingly as she led them quickly towards the town centre. It was late so there wasn't much open but Tilly seemed confident as she took Margot towards the local cinema, except instead of leading them through the front doors, she took the around the back towards a fire exit.

"Where are we going?" Margot said, an unsure smile on her lips even as she frowned at her.

"To see a movie," Tilly said lightly.

"And we can't go through the front doors because…?"

Tilly looked back at her and grinned cheekily. "Cause that wouldn't be any fun."

With that, Tilly knocked hard the backdoor in three certain places before pulling it open with only a slight struggle and led Margot inside. It was dark and Margot trusted Tilly to lead the way, following as she slipped through another door before they stepped out into a brightly lit hallway. It was mostly empty but still Tilly rushed them through into the first room where a film was just beginning to officially start.

"You do this a lot?" Margot smirked as the sat down on the floor at the back, out of the way but still with a clear view of the screen.

"Only every now and then," Tilly said innocently.

Margot smothered a laugh and - without thinking about it - leaned over and kissed her.

The whole world seemed to fade away in an instant. The blur of the sound from the movie screen was nothing but a light buzz, the light that flashed as the scenes changed seemed non existence, and the occasional mutter and gasp from the watching audience might as well have been happening on mute. There was nothing left in the world but Tilly and Margot and their moment.

This was their first kiss. Or rather, it was their first kiss with each other. And it hadn't gone as Margot had planned (she had wanted to do it at the end of the night like in movies) yet it was so familiar. It started out just as a quick peck but somehow in seconds it had evolved into something deeper and Robin reached up, sliding a hand over Tilly's cheek at the same time as Tilly shuffled slightly closer to her, reaching her hands to cradled the back of Margot's neck and pull her close. It was so warm and soft and comfortable and just… Wonderful.

They were so lost in just how perfectly they fit together like this, how amazing the feeling of each other was, so comfortable that they felt like they could have done it for the entirety of the film and even long after the final credit had rolled. In fact, they had no idea how far things would have gone for them if a sudden light hadn't been flashed into their faces, causing them to pull apart and look up at the man shining a torch down on them both.

"Hello ladies. May I see your tickets?"

"Uh…" Margot said dumbly.

"We… Lost… Them…" Tilly said slowly.

"Uh huh," The man said, rolling his eyes. "On your feet. Now."

"Run." Tilly said quietly, then jumped up and slammed her hands against the mans chest, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor between the back seats.

Despite her surprise at the unexpected assault, Margot didn't hesitate to do as she was told. She jumped up and ran for the door, Tilly following closely behind while the man shouted after them and scrambled back up. They burst into giggles as they dashed down the bright hallway and out the main entrance, ducking and diving the few people who stumbled into their way, while everyone else was too taken by surprise to do anything to stop them, even when they heard the shouts from their colleague demanding someone do something.

Once they had broke through the doors and were back outside, the reached towards one another, grabbing each other's hand and dashing down the street with their fingers entwined. They ran onward without pause, their laughter growing as their escape became assured and never stopped holding on as they did. There was once again a similar feeling of being the only ones left in the world. With an excited adrenaline rush, it was easy to forget the familiarity of the kiss, but they would never forget the growing feelings that seemed escalated by their sudden get away tonight.

Almost like they had done something similar in another life… Just like their first kiss…


	29. New Home

**Anonymous: Alice won't be able to stay in Hook's apartment anymore because of his heart, right? Imagine if she thinks she will have to go back to her container, but Robin won't have any of that. Her room above the bar is not that big, but her bed is enough for both of them.**

* * *

The party was hollow.

It was fun and everyone was happy but it was a hollow happiness for Alice. While she was enjoying Robin's company, including the tasty treats they had picked up along the way, there was still a damp sadness that weighed down on her, one that only got worse as the time drew on, ever since returning from visiting her papa. Because soon the party would be over and Alice would be faced with the reality of her and her fathers curse once more.

She'd already moved her stuff back out of his apartment. Back to her old container. God, she hated that place. It was awful, lonely, cold and isolated. It was a different kind of prison to the ones she had experienced before and she had vivid Tilly memories of living there for the longest of time. And while most of the memories were fake, they still hung over her just like her days back in the tower. Yet, here she was, going back again.

As the night drew to a close, Alice's mood darkened and everyone seemed to take notice. On the way out, Lucy paused to give her a hug, and Jacinda gave her a soft kiss on the cheek as Henry pat her shoulder. She forced herself to smile as she watched them leave - one big happy family. Regina appeared with a final drink on the house, making the same promises she made every time they met - that they would fix things between her and her father and that they would be together again. She was trying to be genuine, but Alice was beginning to resent the constant promises she never seemed able to keep.

"I better go." Alice mumbled, standing and turning to Robin, giving her a soft quick kiss, knowing that if she lingered, then Robin would feel her misery and refuse to let her leave. And as much as she would like that, she also knew she needed to get the first night over with.

The first night was always the hardest. The first night after her father had been banished from her tower. The first night she had escaped. The first night after she had attempted to reunite with her father. The first night after she had met Robin. The first night after Rumplestiltskin had given his own happiness up for her. The first night of the curse - though she hadn't realised it at the time. And so many other firsts as well. All of them had been long and hard and most of her time was spent crying into her pillow, even when she didn't know why. It didn't take a genius for her to guess this was how it was going to end for her tonight as well.

Alice was just stepping outside and heading down the street when the door banged open behind her. "Alice! Wait!"

She knew who it was even before they had called out and turned to smile as Robin hurried to catch up. She also knew Robin was trying to help, but really, she was just making it harder for her. Couldn't she see that?

"Hey," Alice smiled. "What's up?" She tried to sound casual.

"You ran off while I was still talking to aunt Regina," Robin said, looping her arm through Alice's and starting to walk down the street with her.

"Sorry, I just… I wanted to get home. I'm tired." Alice shrugged.

"That's fine. It's been a long day." Robin said, rubbing her arm. "Did you pop by to see your dad?"

"Yeah…" Alice nodded, looking down at her feet.

"How is he?" Robin pushed.

"Okay…" Alice mumbled, shrugging as they walked. It seemed Robin was determined to walk her all the way home with her this evening. Alice wasn't sure if she was thankful for it or not, knowing it would just make things harder when they finally said goodbye at her door. "He's looking better. And we had a nice conversation on the phone…"

"That's good." Robin nodded, Alice had to pull her slightly to make the turning and she realised Robin probably didn't actually know the way to where she used to live. She came into her life when she was with her Killian in his apartment. Well, this was going to be a surprise for her then. Just another thing Alice got to look forward to. (Heavy on the sarcasm.)

She continued to lead the way, pulling Robin down towards her old container with her stomach knotting more and more with every step. She felt almost sick with her nerves. Would Robin be put off by her home? No, of course not. She wasn't the kind of girl who would be turned away by Alice's living situations. But still, Alice was very self conscious of her actually seeing it. She considered saying goodbye here and insisting Robin head home on her own…

"Alice? An evening walk is fine and all but if we keep going in this direction then it'll be dark before he we get back again." Robin laughed suddenly.

Alice looked at her and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, Robin nodded her head back at the way they came. "I mean the apartments back that way. I get you want to walk for a bit, but maybe we could walk and wander closer to home? Otherwise we'll be too tired to actually get home. Not that I wouldn't mind camping out." She bumped her hip against Alice's playfully. "It'll be like back in the Enchanted Forest. Just you and me, sleeping under the stars, lost in a world all our own…"

"I… I don't understand." Alice said, coming to a stop. "You… Want me to stay with you?"

Now it was Robin's turn to frown at her. "Of course. I mean… I thought… Don't you want to?" Alice was speechless. "I mean, I know you can't live with your dad now so I just kind of assumed that you'd maybe… I dunno, want to come and stay with me. Unless you're staying with someone else? Henry or Tiana?"

"No…" Alice mumbled, staring at her wide eyed. "No one else."

"Then… Where were you going?" Robin asked her, tilting her head to the side.

"… Nowhere." Alice said finally, shaking her head and smiling. Her lip quivered but she fought back the tears and stepped towards Robin, putting her arms around her chest and resting her head against her shoulder, relaxing against her warm torso. "I mean… With you, of course."

Robin hesitated then decided to let it go, smiling as she wrapped her arms around Alice's shoulders. "Of course," She repeated quietly holding her close.

When they let go, they united their arms once more, turned around… And headed home.


End file.
